I can’t see any comments about this game yet, so, if this is the case, I will make a start. I thought Michael Oliver put in a very good performance. Calm, decisive, very good movement, appropriate yellow cards etc. It wasn’t perfect but imho not far off & especially given the magnitude of the game. The players from both teams also deserve credit because overall not only did they want to get on with the game, but also did so when they disagreed with some of his decisions. As to the incident involving handball when the ball hit a Spanish defenders arm within his own penalty area having been played by a team-mate, for those on Twitter who thinks he should have gone to VAR - not only did he get the decision right (can’t be a handball off his own teammate) but it looked to me as it did go to VAR and didn’t need to go to the monitor, which he clearly communicated to players - arm/voice.
Spain v Belgium
- Thread starter DavidObs
- Start date
one
RefChat Addict
This no longer is the case. It is not a definitive condition/criteria. It is a consideration which make it unlikely to be a handball but it certainly CAN be a handball off his own team mate (under the three criteria in law 12).
True not actually stated within Law 12, but under the 3 conditions it would have been extremely harsh to have given it. It also perhaps doesn’t help people understand the situation when IFAB produce something like this - stated to have been published in 2026:
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one
RefChat Addict
The validity of that Web page has been discussed here a few times.
Suffice to say using that webpage strictly, if a player deliberately handles the ball immediately after it has been kicked by a team mate, it is not an offence (or at least there is a conflict in what the page says). Or a similar circumstance but the player has made their body unnaturally bigger for the sole reason of blocking the ball (say to prevent it from entering goal).
Having said that I think we are both on the same page in more ways than one.
Suffice to say using that webpage strictly, if a player deliberately handles the ball immediately after it has been kicked by a team mate, it is not an offence (or at least there is a conflict in what the page says). Or a similar circumstance but the player has made their body unnaturally bigger for the sole reason of blocking the ball (say to prevent it from entering goal).
Having said that I think we are both on the same page in more ways than one.