Premier League handball rule that has fuelled criticism worldwide: EXPLAINED

The Premier League is fast becoming the breeding ground for controversies and cheap handballs, thanks to its overly harsh interpretation of IFAB's guidelines for 'handball decisions'. Just three weeks into the new season, criticism has been at large against the new handball law, which supposedly does not do any justice to defenders. Experts have openly pointed out the risks of persisting with the law, which they claim is "killing" football. 

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Premier League handball rule: Explained

The controversial decision to re-classify handball was made by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) prior to the 2019-20 season. A number of amendments were made to the laws of the game, one of which included the controversial handball rule. According to IFAB, 'any goal scored or created with the use of the hand or arm will be disallowed this season even if it is accidental.' With the factor of 'intent' by the defender ruled out, the law gave an unfair advantage to attackers to purposefully strike the arm of an incoming defender to earn a cheap penalty/foul.

The rule was not implemented last season as the Premier League introduced VAR for the first time - which had its fair share of criticism over the past year. IFAB, however, updated its rule for the 2020-21 season. In a statement released earlier, the body amended the law to 'accidental handball will only be punished if it occurs “immediately” before a goal is scored.' 

IFAB further stated, 'If the ball hits a player who has made their body "unnaturally bigger" then a foul will be awarded.' According to the officials, 'having hand/arm above shoulder height is rarely a natural position for the player' and will be penalised if the ball strikes the arm in such a situation.

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Why is the Premier League being criticised for its handball interpretation?

While IFAB attempted to bring 'intent' back into contention for referees to make a decision, it is the Premier League's interpretation of the same that has left fans frustrated. Over the course of the three weeks, there have been numerous penalties that have been criticised by fans and experts. 

During Sunday's game between Tottenham and Newcastle, a penalty was awarded to the Magpies after the ball touched Eric Dier's outstretched arm in the box as the defender was looking the other way. Callum Wilson converted from the spot, rescuing a point for his side, who were outplayed for almost the entirety of the game.  

On Saturday, VAR was heavily slammed on social media after a similar handball judgement was made against Crystal Palace's Joel Ward against Everton. Richarlison scored the resultant penalty, which ended up being the decisive goal in the Toffees' 2-1 win over Palace. Just over a week ago, Manchester United fell victim to the Premier League handball rule after Victor Lindelof was penalised when the ball grazed his arm during the 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace. Robin Koch, Neil Maupay and Matt Doherty are the others who have, so far, been harshly penalised for making their bodies "unnaturally" bigger.  

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Amid such widespread criticism, the Premier League can somewhat tweak its interpretation of the law to bring parity to the game. The league could re-consider what is considered an "unnatural" position for a player's hand, which could potentially minimize the controversy arising due to the handball rule change. The topic is likely to be brought up during the Premier League shareholders meeting in October. Until then, however, the new law will be criticised just as VAR was for the majority of last season:

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(Image Credits: Newcastle United, Tottenham Twitter)