Rules committee IFAB, after consultation with its own advisory panel, emphasized that hands are not always involved when the ball hits the hand or arm of a player. The rules are currently not applied consistently everywhere.
“Not every ball on a hand or arm means a penalty. The final decision always rests with the referee,” the IFAB said in a brief statement Monday after the meeting.
The committee notes that there is a lack of clarity regarding the rule about players who do not have their arm at their sides in defense. “Referees should judge the position of the hand or arm in relation to the movement of the player,” the statement stressed.
A few more rules were amended in April by order of the IFAB. The rules state that a penalty must be given if a player in defensive position does not keep his arms at his sides and touches the ball with his hand or arm. However, there is room for interpretation of the referee.
The rules result in many penalties, also because of the presence of the video referee. In the past, those moments were often explained as unintentional hands and usually no penalty kick was awarded.
Earlier this month, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin expressed strong criticism of the FIFA rules. He wants to go back to the old situation. “It is not good for football that movements that cannot be prevented are now punished with a penalty kick,” said Ceferin, among other things.
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