It is great to see the return of Premier League football this season all be it without fans inside the stadium. However, it would not be the same without controversy and that is exactly what we have got with the current handball rule.
In a change from the rule used last season, accidental handball will be penalised if it happens immediately before a goal, and any handball below the bottom of the armpit will be punished.
This means that any accidental handball will be punished in the immediate build up before a goal is scored. If the ball strikes a player who has made their body ‘unnaturally bigger’ in the penalty area, a penalty will be awarded.
In addition, the International Football Association Board have stated that an arm above shoulder height is rarely, if ever, a ‘natural’ position, with the exception being when a player is falling to the ground. The referees discretion can be used in regard to ricocheted handballs, or if the player in question cannot see the ball.
This brings us to the incident involving Eric Dier in the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon. Near the end of the game, Newcastle United played the ball into the penalty area and striker Andy Carroll headed the ball back towards the middle of the box and it struck Dier’s arm. A penalty was awarded despite the fact Dier was in close proximity to Carroll and had his back to the player. Furthermore, Dier was using his arms to jump for the ball.
Dier clearly had no idea what was happening behind him and knew nothing about the ball striking his arm. Therefore, looking back at the guidelines above it states that ‘the referees discretion can be used in regard to ricocheted handballs, or if the player in question cannot see the ball.’ Dier could not see the ball in this instance.
There was another incident in the meeting between Crystal Palace and Everton at Selhust Park on Saturday. Joel Ward was adjudged to have handled the ball following Lucas Digne's header that struck his arm. On this occasion, you could say Ward’s arm was away from his body but they were both low and he was not deliberately making himself bigger.
The examples above are just two of many highly questionable incidents in the Premier League this season leading to the award of a penalty. We have already seen 16 penalties awarded this season and at the time of writing we have not completed the third round of fixtures. If we continue at the same rate, we will see over 200 penalties in the Premier League this season, more than double the amount awarded in the 2019/20 campaign.
It is highly unlikely the rule is going to be changed now the season has started and therefore we can expect to see a huge number of penalties in 2020/21.