Thread by @DaleJohnsonESPN

HANDBALL LAW UPDATE

Just in from the crucial IFAB meeting to decide any clarifications in the 2021-22 laws.

In relation to the handball Law, given that the interpretation of handball incidents has not always been consistent, further clarification is supported.

Notwithstanding the revised 2019-20 wording, it was re-emphasised that the final judgment remains with the referee and not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence.

For the definition of “unnaturally bigger”, referees should judge the position of the arm in relation to the player’s movement.

While the handball law is not going to be rewritten, it should now be tidied up and clarified from the mess it is in the written laws.

It is worth noting that the comments coming out of the IFAB meeting suggest this is more about making sure the laws truly reflect the decisions that are being taken, rather than them being ambiguous.

OFFSIDE LAW

This is all pretty much as I have explained before, about a fix being for all football & crucially not affecting the ability of linesman to do their job.

Advisory panels discussed potential options to be explored around making the game more attractive and dynamic.

If any concrete proposal is to be considered, it would need to be applicable at all levels of the game and easy to apply for the match officials, mindful of the dynamic nature of player’s movement.

It was agreed that extensive trials would be necessary before a Law change could be proposed.

So we are a long, long way from any change to offside. With the need for trials, and no specific modification on the table, it looks like it's going to be 2023-24 at the earliest.

Just one final note on handball. The clarification from the IFAB today sounds pretty much what the Premier League agreed with it to implement at the end of September.

We will have to see what is agreed at the full IFAB ABM on Dec. 16.

Concerned people are reading too much into “every touch of the players hand/arm is not an offence” in the wording of the statement. That is the case now too.

Have to wait and see what the IFAB does change, but after speaking to them last week I wouldn't expect a full roll back.

If I were a betting man (I am!) then I would say any clarification to the written laws would be very similar to what you read here, which was agreed with the IFAB.

Would like the "arm above the shoulder" element to be relaxed, however.

premierleague.com/news/1849937

After the IFAB's advisory panels met to discuss the handball law, here's a detailed look at handball pens in top 5 leagues & UCL.

- Surge post-2018
- Reasons, and how leagues reacted
- Cultural influence in Latin countries

espn.co.uk/football/engli…