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Penalties
Clear Line

Penalties

Penalty area incidents cover several common situations: handball, holding, pushing, shirt pulling, tripping, stepping on the foot, simulation, who played the ball first, and actions by goalkeepers. We examine what referees must consider in their decision-making, and where VAR should intervene if required.
Overview Handball Holding / pushing Tripping Stepping on foot Who played the ball? Goalkeepers Simulation Overview Handball Holding / pushing Tripping Stepping on foot Who played the ball? Goalkeepers Simulation

Handball

When deciding on a potential handball, match officials must assess several factors that can determine whether an offence has taken place.

  • VAR should recommend a penalty where the touch was deliberate, indicated for example by a movement of the hand/arm towards the ball, or where the defender has made their body unnaturally bigger.
  • VAR should recommend cancelling a penalty where the arm is positioned close to or against the body, or is clearly in a natural position for the specific movement or action.
  • If there is no clear evidence that the ball touched the defender’s arm, VAR should not intervene.

The rationale

Handball is judged according to two criteria:

  • whether the touch was deliberate;
  • whether the player made their body unnaturally bigger.

A defender sliding to block a shot or using an arm to keep their balance may position the arm in a way that looks similar in a still image but can be interpreted quite differently when viewed in motion. This is why match officials must assess the position of the arm in terms of the defender’s movement rather than what happened to the ball.

What referees consider when making a decision

  • Was the contact deliberate?
  • What was the position of the arm/hand?
  • Was there a movement of the arm/hand towards the ball?
  • How far was the defender from the shot or pass? Were there any deflections? Was there a chance of avoiding contact?
  • Was the ball kicked by a team-mate?
  • Did the defender play the ball towards their own arm/hand?

✅ When VAR should recommend a penalty

  • The defender deliberately touches the ball or there is a movement of the hand/arm towards the ball (Video 1 & 2)
  • The hand/arm is held in an unnatural position away from the body (Video 3)
  • A defender makes their body unnaturally bigger (Video 4)
  • The position of the arm/hand is not justified by the defender’s movement (Video 5)
  • A defender blocks or deflects a shot or a cross while sliding, with an arm extended away from the body along the ground, making their body unnaturally bigger (Video 6)
  • A defender blocks or deflects a shot or a cross with an arm/hand on the ground (or moving towards the ground), but there is no genuine attempt to play the ball. Rather the player is making their body bigger, creating a larger barrier to block the ball (Video 7)
  • A deflected shot still traveling towards the goal is blocked by the defender’s arm/hand, which is clearly held away from the body in an unnatural position (Video 8)
  • Following a deflection, the defender blocks a pass with their arm/hand clearly held away from the body in an unnatural position (Video 9)

Video 1 – Penalties – Handball: Intentional movement towards the ball
Video 2 – Penalties – Handball: Intentional movement towards the ball
Video 3 – Penalties – Handball: Arm in unnatural position
Video 4 – Penalties – Handball: Player makes body unnaturally bigger
Video 5 – Penalties – Handball: Arm position not justified by player movement
Video 6 – Penalties – Handball: Player blocks cross while sliding with arm extended away from body
Video 7 – Penalties – Handball: Player acting as goalkeeper
Video 8 – Penalties – Handball: Deflection towards goal with arms in unnatural position
Video 9 – Penalties – Handball: After deflection, defender blocked pass with arm in unnatural position

✅ When VAR should recommend cancelling a penalty

The protocol works both ways, meaning the review can also show that a penalty should not stand if:

  • there is clear evidence that the ball has not hit the defender’s hand/arm.
  • the defender’s arm is positioned close to or against the body. (Video 10)
  • the defender’s arm is clearly in a natural position for the specific movement or action. (Video 11)
  • the position of the arm and contact with the ball are a natural consequence of a challenge that causes the defender to lose balance and accidentally touch the ball.(Video 12)
  • in principle, a defender kicks or heads the ball towards a team-mate's arm/hand. (Video 13 & 14)
  • in principle, a defender plays the ball and it subsequently touches their own arm/hand. (Video 15 & 16)
  • a defender’s arm is on the ground or moving towards the ground as a natural consequence of supporting their body to maintain balance while attempting to reach or challenge for the ball. (Video 17)
  • in principle, a defender is attempting to block a shot or a pass with any part of the body and a deflection causes the ball to clearly change direction before contacting their arm/hand, which is held in a natural position. This applies when the ball would not have continued travelling towards the goal or in the original direction of the pass. (Video 18 & 19)
Video 10 – Penalties – Handball: Arm close to body
Video 11 – Penalties – Handball: Arm is in natural position as consequence of player movement
Video 12 – Penalties – Handball: Contact with ball is a consequence of challenge from opponent
Video 13 – Penalties – Handball: Ball comes from team-mate and arm in natural position
Video 14 – Penalties – Handball: Ball comes from team-mate and arm in natural position
Video 15 – Penalties – Handball: Player played the ball which hits own arm in natural position
Video 16 – Penalties – Handball: Player played the ball which hits own arm in natural position
Video 17 – Penalties – Handball: Arm supporting body
Video 18 – Penalties – Handball: Player blocks shot on to arm, ball travelling away from goal
Video 19 – Penalties – Handball: Player blocks shot on to arm, ball travelling away from goal

❌ When VAR should not intervene

  • if there is no clear evidence that the ball touched the defender’s arm.
  • if the VAR has doubts about whether the arm is held in a natural or unnatural position

A decision standing after a check is not VAR failing to act, it is VAR finding no clear and obvious error to correct.