The IFAB, in favor of clarifying the rule of infringement by hand

The International Football Board (IFAB) was shown in favor of further clarification on the hand infringement rule and agreed to study in depth the basic principles that govern the management of permanent additional substitutions proposed by the expert group on concussion.

The technical and football advisory panels of the IFAB gathered this Monday by video conference they seconded the request more information on the hand infringement rule, since the interpretation of this type of incident has not always been uniform, despite the revision of the text introduced in the edition of the 2019-20 game rules.

According to a statement from FIFA and IFAB, the group stressed again that the final decision rests with the referee and that not all contact of the ball with the hand or arm constitutes an infringement.

“With reference to the interpretation of the expression«get the body to take up more space in an unnatural way», It was indicated that the referees should judge the position of the hand or arm in relation to the player's movement in the specific phase of the game “.

The signaling of the hands was one of the issues addressed by the IFAB after since UEFA will ask FIFA for a review since, in the opinion of its president, Aleksander Ceferin, the attempt to define the infraction by hand “has generated unfair decisions in many cases and they have caused frustration and dissatisfaction in the football community, “he said in a letter sent to his FIFA counterpart, Gianni Infantino.

For this season the IFAB made a new wording of rule 12 in which it fixes the line that separates the shoulder and the arm below the armpit to define what is hand and states that only the accidental hand of an attacker or a teammate will be flagged if the contact takes place immediately before scoring a goal or an obvious scoring chance.

On the choice of five substitutions IFAB agreed that the temporary amendment allowing up to that number is maintained and and that the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on football will remain under constant review so that the pertinent actions can be taken, if necessary.

Regarding the protocol permanent additional substitutions for concussions and to the circumstances and schedules of possible tests, the two panels agreed that rehearsals should start as soon as possible and proposed that they be considered for approval on December 16 at their next annual work meeting, where the agenda of its annual general assembly will also be set March 6, 2021.

In relation to the rule of offside the IFAB debated “possible options that would help add appeal and dynamism to football“.

The panels made it clear that “any specific proposal should meet the requirements of be able to be implemented in all categories, facilitate its application by the referees and always bear in mind the agility of the player movements. Members of both groups agreed that Comprehensive testing will be required before proposing the modification of this rule “.

The meeting, chaired by Jonathan Ford, Executive Director of the Welsh Football Association and member of the IFAB Board of Directors, it also allowed to address the latest VAR news, specifically the innovations that in the future would allow the inclusion of more affordable systems, so that competition organizers with more limited budgets could access the use of this technology.