One line from the LOTG you wish EVERYONE knew...…..

[Peter Grove]

I think that seeing as a ref forum can’t agree on when and when not to give handball it’s perhaps not surprising that players, coaches and spectators get confused etc.

Maybe, but I think it's also partly the case that for some reason, spectators, players and coaches seem to want 100% certainty on what is or isn't a handball when for me, that's no more possible than saying that a particular kind of tackle is or isn't a foul. We can't for instance say that, "Every time a player makes a tackle with his foot more than six inches off the ground, it's an automatic, 100% definite foul or, "Every single tackle from behind is always a foul." Yet people appear to want us to be able to say something like, "Every time the player has his arms away from the body, it's a definite handball offence," or "Any time the ball is deflected from less than two feet away, it's not a handling offence" and so on.

If we can't define with 100% clarity and certainty before it happens and without seeing it, that a particular style of tackle or challenge is illegal, I'm not sure why it has to be true of handling offences.

For both handling offences and foul challenges, I think it should be left with guidelines and criteria that give the referee enough terms of reference for making the decision based on their own judgement within the framework of the Laws.

 

[Sheffields Finest]

I never had any issues calling these, 90% plus are clearly not deliberate. The pathetic calls from players for most of these are tant amount to gamesmanship or cheating as it’s sometimes called. That unwarranted pressure it put on newer refs especially is poor fair play.

I’ve sent off for this too when players do a Suarez. I’m not anti-handball, just the ones that are actually deliberate and not a leap of faith from a random struck ball at pace from 2 yards when the hands were already there...

 

[Abeverley]

Maybe, but I think it's also partly the case that for some reason, spectators, players and coaches seem to want 100% certainty on what is or isn't a handball when for me, that's no more possible than saying that a particular kind of tackle is or isn't a foul. We can't for instance say that, "Every time a player makes a tackle with his foot more than six inches off the ground, it's an automatic, 100% definite foul or, "Every single tackle from behind is always a foul." Yet people appear to want us to be able to say something like, "Every time the player has his arms away from the body, it's a definite handball offence," or "Any time the ball is deflected from less than two feet away, it's not a handling offence" and so on.

If we can't define with 100% clarity and certainty before it happens and without seeing it, that a particular style of tackle or challenge is illegal, I'm not sure why it has to be true of handling offences.

For both handling offences and foul challenges, I think it should be left with guidelines and criteria that give the referee enough terms of reference for making the decision based on their own judgement within the framework of the Laws.

I get totally what you’re saying.