Three Types of Handball

1.     Attacker handball. This is the easiest one to make a decision on, but is often the hardest to see during the match. Soccer doesn’t accept a ball scored directly from the hand, regardless of whether of any intent. If the ball touches an attacker’s hand and there is an immediate goal, it’s an offense. There is no judgement needed. All you need to see is that the ball touched the attacker’s hand and then a goal was scored. If this happens, it’s a handball, blow the whistle for a direct free kick coming out.

2.     Unnaturally bigger. Players and people use their arms for normal movements. Think how silly people would look if they tried to run with their arms straight down. If the ball hits the hand and it’s in natural playing movement, or if the arm is close to the body, this is not a handball offense (with the exception of attacker handball we just talked about). However, if a player is running towards an attacker and the arms are high to the side (think straight out and even with the shoulder) in a desperate attempt to get there and block the ball…this is making the body unnaturally bigger. If a player jumps into the air, their arms will come up as part of that movement. But if the arm is all the way over their head, this is making the body unnaturally bigger. If a player is playing with their arms in not a normal playing position, or a position that is not justifiable given the action of the players, this is making the body unnaturally bigger. We sometimes also used the idea of taking a risk – the player took a risk by having their arm in that position, the ball hit the hand, and the player is then punished accordingly.

However…there is one exception. If there is a deliberate play by the player or a teammate into the hand, then there is no handball offense. Why? Let’s pause for a moment and think about how these situations occur. A defender clears the ball, and it hits a teammate’s hand. Where is the ball going? Towards where the defender wanted to clear the ball. Now it hits a teammate’s hand, and the ball is going to deflect and go somewhere where the team did not want it to go. This doesn’t feel like an infraction as it typically less advantageous to the team than if the ball didn’t hit the hand. This is the concept of a successful block. If there is a deliberate play by a player or a teammate that causes the ball to change direction, then the ball hits the hand – this is not a handball, even if the arm is in an unnaturally bigger position.

3.     Cynical/Deliberate Handball. You’ll hear a lot of people talk about a deliberate or cynical handball. Admittedly, by using this terminology we have sort of changed what we thought of when we said “deliberate handball” before. Personally, I like to think about this as a secondary action towards the ball. This about a situation where there’s a pass, and a player sticks their arm out to block it. Or there is a shot on goal and a player dives towards the ball to try to save it (think Suarez in the World Cup). These are the ones that jump out at you, and everyone knows is an infraction. They are situations where it feels like someone is trying to cheat the game.

Rule Changes and Sanctions

Now that we have the three types of handballs, what is this rule change we have for the 2025 season? If you understand the difference between a handball that is an infraction because the body is unnaturally bigger versus a deliberate play, knowing what to do in terms of a sanction is easy. Before we get into it, let’s start with the logic behind the change made years ago when a foul inside the penalty area was reduced from a red to a yellow card if it was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball. Why did we make this change? Because if a player was trying to play in a fair manner, but mistimed their tackle, awarding a penalty kick and sending the player off felt like too harsh of a punishment. Then why didn’t we just get rid of a red card for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity inside the penalty area and make everything a yellow card? Because if a player was beat and grabbed the shirt to stop the player, this isn’t a fair way to play. This is a crime against the game. The player violated the spirit of the game by pulling on the shirt to stop a player, versus the goalkeeper who fairly challenges for the ball but is late and gets the player instead of the ball. Understanding the way is crucial to understanding the game and applying the rules fairly.

This new rule change applies the same logic to handball. A player who is challenging for the ball, but has their arm extended in an unnaturally bigger position is trying to play in a fair manner, they just got unlucky, and the ball hit their hand instead of their foot or body. This is like the goalkeeper who was trying to play in a fair manner but got unlucky and was a second late and got the attacker instead of the ball. We reduce the sanction inside the penalty area for these offenses. However, the player who deliberately handles the ball (or makes a secondary motion towards the ball) is trying to cheat the game. Just like the defender who is clearly beat and then grabs the shirt to stop the attacker…this player is cheating the game. We do not reduce the punishment inside the penalty area if a player is not trying to play in a fair manner.

When preparing for this for the upcoming season, look at the NCAA presentation on the Law Changes. What do you notice in these clips? They’re almost all situations where the sanction inside the penalty area is reduced. This is very similar to what we have for fouls, it is rare that we have a red card for DOGSO inside the penalty area. Players are usually trying to play fairly and generally are not trying to cheat the game with a cynical hold or a cynical handball. Therefore, when you have DOGSO inside the penalty area, regardless of whether it’s for a foul or a handball, your immediate thought should be it’s a yellow card. However, if it’s so obvious and so clearly NOT a fair way to play, or a clear deliberate or cynical handball (think a player making a save like a goalkeeper would), then give a red card. Most of these should be yellow cards, so assume a yellow and talk yourself into a red card.

Hopefully this helps you get your head around handball and the rule change. Good luck this season and be sure that you don’t commit a handball infraction.