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UEFA President Aleksandr Ceferin has requested a meeting with soccer legislators to review the idea of allowing referees to determine once again whether handball is intentional or not.
Ceferin wrote in his request to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, according to the Associated Press: “The attempt to strictly limit attempts to touch the ball led to many unfair decisions, which were met with growing frustration and great discomfort on the part of the soccer community. “.
The agency said Infantino received a request from Ceferin to again amend the law of touching hands to make it more flexible for referees to avoid unfair punishments for players.
The text of Ceferin’s speech continues: “The spirit of the game must be preserved at all times. I am confident that the return to the old system can be combined and reviewed avoiding any goal being scored by hand or arm under any circumstances.
Ceferin wrote the letter on October 27, but what fueled the UEFA president’s request was an incident in the Champions League.
When Chelsea receive a penalty after a match between Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham and Rennes defender Dalbert, for which the latter was sent off, and Chelsea scored a goal in the match, which they won 3-0.
Ceferin continues: “It often happens that the ball unintentionally hits the player’s hand or arm, but the spirit of the law is clear. These cases cannot be avoided and there should be no punishment for them, to avoid excessive distractions and allow dangerous situations. who can decide the outcome of the match. ” .
The handball law was amended in March 2019 at the international meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which coincided with the introduction of video referee technology in all competitions.
He continued the speech: “The hand is part of the body and involuntarily participates in the efforts of the players in their movements necessary to maintain the balance of the body, to make the effort successfully to avoid injury.”
“There is a lot of evidence showing that defenders are currently assuming that they must take unnatural positions to avoid the risk of unintentionally touching the ball with their hands and a penalty kick,” he added.
He concluded: “There is no flaw in admitting that some of the laws that were made for the benefit of the game did not achieve their objectives and should be reviewed, and doing so will never reduce the credibility and ethics of the Board of the International Football Association, That everyone appreciates his services to play and his dedication to fully safeguarding and enforcing his rules. ” .
