UEFA’s proposal to change handball law to be assessed by FIFA
New ‘unfair and damaging’ handball rules could be changed by FIFA after UEFA wrote letter to chiefs demanding ‘no good to the game’ law be scrapped
- UEFA chief wrote to FIFA president seeking return to pre-2019 handball rules
- Old law allowed refs to judge whether handling was intentional or accidental
- FIFA will now assess UEFA’s proposal amid concerns that new rules are ‘unfair’
- Aleksander Ceferin has been sent assurances that rules will be looked at
UEFA’s proposal to change the handball law to prevent unfair decisions damaging the sport will be assessed by world football’s rulemaking body, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
Responding to a letter from UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, Infantino said FIFA is striving for ‘fairness, consistency and transparency’ with the on-field regulations that are deliberated over intensely.
Ceferin had written to Infantino last week seeking a return to the pre-2019 law that allowed referees to judge whether handling was intentional or accidental and prevent the current spate of ‘many unfair decisions.’
This season has seen a series of controversial handballs given under the new ruling
FIFA president Gianni Infantino (right) says UEFA’s concerns over the new handball rules – raised by his counterpart Aleksander Ceferin – will be assessed
Ceferin was sent a reply after his request to FIFA was obtained by the AP on Thursday, with assurances received that the UEFA suggestion will be discussed by the International Football Association Board meetings later this month.
‘This is not the first time this rule has been the focus of discussion and I believe that it will not be the last time,’ Infantino wrote to Ceferin. ‘I for one believe that the intensity of debate over this particular area of the game illustrates well the passion for our sport and the subtleties that make it so compelling.’
The change to the law from 2019 determined that an offense was committed if players’ arms were outstretched, in an unnatural position, when hit by a ball.
‘There is no shame in admitting that sometimes decisions that are made for the good do not achieve their objectives and should be reviewed,’ Ceferin said in last week’s letter sent to Infantino.
Despite referees being able to check pitch-side monitors, the laws of the game still allow for controversial decisions amid the current interpretation of the handball law
The big screen at Turf Moor informs a VAR check for handball back in July for Burnley’s Premier League encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers
The configuration of the laws is overseen by the International Football Association Board. FIFA controls half of the eight IFAB votes and the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish associations hold the other four.
Infantino told Ceferin that his proposal has been forwarded ‘to the relevant teams within the FIFA…
Read More:UEFA’s proposal to change handball law to be assessed by FIFA