\n<\/p>\n
For a couple of years accidental handball that led to a team-mate scoring used to see a goal ruled out. But there were constant complaints,<\/p>\n
Take the stoppage-time equaliser for West Ham against Sheffield United in January 2020, ruled out through VAR because the ball struck Declan Rice’s arm in the build-up.<\/p>\n
“We are fuming. All the lads are livid,” said England midfielder Rice.<\/p>\n
“Anybody who has played football or been around the game knows it was a good goal,” said Hammers boss David Moyes.<\/p>\n
It reached a head when a Fulham goal for Josh Maja was controversially disallowed for an accidental handball by Mario Lemina directly before scoring.<\/p>\n
So the law was changed in 2021. Now it only applies to the goal scorer.<\/p>\n
And that allows Salisbury to come to a different decision about Mbeumo.<\/p>\n
A handball in the build-up must be deliberate – or the arm be in an unnatural position.<\/p>\n
So, if Mbeumo’s shot had gone in, the goal would have to be disallowed. Because it was blocked, it can be allowed to stand and becomes a subjective judgement of the handball offence.<\/p>\n
“It is a decision that will split people, I can see both sides of the argument, but I think we have had so many talks this side of the border and north of the border recently, that we need to go back to deliberate handball,” said Cann.<\/p>\n
“If it is unequivocally a handball then we disallow. If the handball is accidental or if the arm is in an unnatural position and we have all these clauses in the law then it gets a bit complicated so I would advocate for a return to just deliberate handball.”<\/p>\n
There was a perfect example of this from December in a game between Brighton and West Ham.<\/p>\n
The ball deflected off the body of Georginio Rutter before contact with the arm. The Brighton player then saw a shot saved by Alphonse Areola. The loose ball ran to Jan Paul van Hecke, who passed to Rutter to score Brighton’s stoppage time equaliser.<\/p>\n
Because Rutter did not score immediately after the ball had touched his arm, the goal was legal.<\/p>\n
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo was furious the goal was allowed to stand, but in law it was not handball.<\/p>\n
The Mbeumo decision is more controversial, as the ball would have run away from him had it not hit his arm.<\/p>\n
Within VAR protocol, referees are asked to consider “what would football expect?”<\/p>\n
In this case, giving handball would be the far less controversial outcome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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