Soccer gets out of hand

The world of football is going through moments of bewilderment after the swing that the regulation is having. Year after year the International Board is changing the laws of football and especially the criteria for pointing hands. This change created great confusionBut now when many of the actors (players, coaches and fans) seemed to understand this new norm, IFAB has asked the referees to stop being so strict causing a new twist and more confusion. Capa's hands at Real Madird-Athletic or Ramos at Eibar-Real Madrid are a sample of this new scenario. What a few months ago was considered a penalty or assured intervention of the VAR, has been considered legal or gray, which prevents you from rectifying the technology. Since IFAB released that statement on November 23, hand penalties have almost fallen into oblivion in Spain.

For a couple of seasons, the referees to rule hand they have to attend to various factors: if it is a natural position or unnatural, if it occupies a space, if it is voluntary or not, if it is over the shoulder or if it generates an imminent chance or goal. Without forgetting the complication that it brings about rebounding. With this trial, almost every hand was considered an infringement (some teams threw into the arms of rivals within the area to be awarded a penalty). Proof of this was record of maximum penalties issued last season. 149 were whistled, of which 48 (32.2%) were per hand. The trend continued this season and on the rise. Until November 23, 33.33% of the penalties indicated were for this reason, according to data from Opta. But said day International Board announced that it was necessary to continue clarifying this concept and He asked the referees to take into account when deciding whether an arm was occupying a space or in a natural position in relation to the movement they are making. In other words, it would be necessary to pay attention to whether Capa's hand is natural in terms of the fall and the speed that it is going or if Ramos's is after jumping and turning. That was considered in the field by the referees and their colleagues in the VAR.

This IFAB message has led to since then only three penalties per hand have been awarded. Three in 42 games. In that time, a total of 16 maximum penalties have been indicated, which means that 18.75% were per hand. Almost half of those that were noted in the first third of the season. But to see more of the change in criteria, one must go to the VAR interventions. They are the ones who have to enter as long as there is a clear and manifest error, and with this qualification by IFAB it makes it more complicated for it to occur. The VAR until the tenth day (ended just the same November 23) entered 12 hand stocks. Of 48 interventions, one in four were for this reason. This means that 25% of the irruptions of the tool served to correct their colleagues for not correctly applying the criterion of the hand. Following the IFAB note, there have been ten VAR interventions, none for this concept. Only pha acted or offside or tackles with legs or grips …

Hands are not so hands anymore. Or for now. And this has caused confusion. This is recognized by the protagonists of this sport, which are footballers. “Honestly, we are not clear about it. There are plays in which they are whistled and plays in which they are not.. We do not clearly know the criterion, what it is based on. I think it should be clarified both for and against, because we players are in question “, Carvajal assured yesterday when asked about the possible of Ramos. Mendilibar He also pointed to that sea of ​​doubts regarding the norm: “We have no idea, this week there have been some hand counts and we don't know when to whistle and when not. Today the decision has been made in 20 seconds when normally there are two or three with a slow image, a fast image, from one camera, from the other. It has been seen that he has hit his hand, Ramos himself has commented that he has hit his hand, but since we do not know when it is whistled and I believe that the referees do not either. “A debate to which he has joined Koeman: “I don't understand the criteria of the referees. But I'll stick with what I said on Madrid day. There are things that cannot be understood. If you ask even ten people from Madrid, nine say yes. But the referee decided not to whistle it. “With so much change in the regulations, not even the players themselves know how to get it right.