Week after week, the whistled hands – or not – in the surface challenge and ask questions. Referees generally award the penalty without questioning the intention of the player to put his hand. We saw it again two weeks ago during the Champions League Round of 16 second leg between Manchester City and Leipzig when a German defender was penalized for a hand foul in the box when he was with his back to the ball.
To put an end to this confusing rule of handballs in the box, UEFA will set up a special group, its president Aleksander Ceferin revealed on Tuesday. The president of the European body, who is expected to be re-elected unopposed for a new four-year term at the congress this Wednesday in Lisbon, said former Croatia captain Zvonimir Boban, now responsible for football in UEFA, would lead the group to review the Laws of the Game. He added that he had also raised his concerns with Fifa President Gianni Infantino.
Asked if he understood the latest handball rules in the box, Ceferin said no. ” No, I do not understand. I absolutely do not understand. And something has to be done in this area. At the end of April, we will form a special group, which will be led by Zvonimir Boban, and we want all the greatest coaches and former football players to be part of it, Ceferin told Slovenian newspaper Ekipa. One of the priority topics will be hand fault. The law says that [c’est une faute de main] if the player has increased his body surface – but what should he do? How to shrink down if you fall to the ground or jump in the air – the hands are where they are, you can’t always press them to the body. »
The misunderstanding of handballs in the area is a subject that has been close to the heart of the UEFA president for several months. “Nothing is clear to anyone anymore, which is very bad for football, because football, by definition, is very understandable and very clear,” insists the Slovenian. We have to make sure the referees don’t look for an alibi in VAR and award every hand contact just to protect themselves. This is a big problem and we have to solve it wisely. »