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LONDON: Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said that constant changes to the handball rule in recent years have left players on the field confused when decisions go against them.
City were frustrated after Aymeric Laporte’s first-half draw against Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s 2-0 loss (November 21) was canceled after the field-side monitor showed a hand from Gabriel Jesus In the preparation.
“I don’t know the rules anymore, honestly. I thought if it was over the arm here it wouldn’t be handball with the changes in the law anymore,” City captain De Bruyne told Sky Sports while pointing to his sleeve.
“What can we say, I have played professional soccer for about 12 years and the first nine years there were no changes in the rules and the last three years there have been many. I don’t know why.
“Soccer is such an enjoyable game. The guys who set the rules should be people in the game.”
Defenders have struggled to adapt to the new rules after being guilty of inadvertently manipulating the ball, and officials considered their arms to be in “unnatural positions” even when it is virtually impossible to avoid contact with the ball.
Earlier this month, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin called on FIFA to change the handball rule, saying the current interpretation has led to unfair decisions that have caused “increasing frustration and discomfort” in the sport.
