For many fans, these personal characteristics can be enjoyable (eg Bozza’s laugh, or the Kiwis trying to sound objective). For others they can be deeply annoying (eg Bozza’s laugh, or the Kiwis trying to sound objective).

Most of these neither interest nor irritate me – they just flow over as I try to watch the game. But there is one thing that gets my goat…the inability of commentators to understand the handball rule. And it seems to be most of them!

It’s really not that hard to understand. Here are the relevant rules lifted straight from the laws of the game:

Handling the ball

Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with

the ball with his hand or arm. The referee must take the following into

consideration:

• the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)

• the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball)

• the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an

infringement

• touching the ball with an object held in the hand (clothing, shinguard, etc.)

counts as an infringement

• hitting the ball with a thrown object (boot, shinguard, etc.) counts as an

Infringement

 

Note in particular that there is no mention of:

  • gaining an advantage

  • arm in an unnatural position

Those expressions are commentators’ glosses that have crept into common parlance in an attempt to clarify the rules but instead they’ve muddied the waters. Let’s be very plain about this…

IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR TEAM GAINS AN ADVANTAGE AND IT DOESN”T MATTER WHERE YOUR HANDS ARE

If the ball hitting the hand was not deliberate then the correct decision is play on – even if the ball goes directly from the hand into the goal (I’m looking at you Chris Payne).

And yet, despite this very simple rule we constantly get players, coaches and even commentators complaining about the rule and its complexity.

Players, I can understand.

Coaches also, to an extent, although they ought to know better.

Commentators not knowing the rule is, frankly, scandalous. Why are these people being paid money to mislead and mis-educate the public? Even worse, they defame referees who make correct decisions and go on and on about arms being away from the body or gaining an advantage.

A perfect instance of this was a couple of months ago when David Carney appeared to control the ball with his hand before hitting a late winner for Sydney FC against Melbourne Victory. Chris Beath even explained his decision after the game and he was 100% correct. The ball only hit Carney on the arm because it was obscured or deflected by a close defender. It was therefore (according to the laws of the game) an unexpected ball with no movement of the hand towards the ball. The fact that it then fell kindly for him was irrelevant.

Of course, there were then people going off left right and centre about the scandal. I can understand the disappointment of the Victory players, coaches and fans but the decision was correct and the goal rightly stood. Even Carney thought he had handled the ball when speaking after the game, although he did say he’d lost sight of it after an attempted clearance. That should have been enough to explain it for those who know the rules.

But the commentators!

The arrogant assumption that Beath had got it wrong simply because the ball hit the arm was breathtaking. Then the sententious call for changes to the handball rule to make it easy to understand.

IT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND!!!

It has to be deliberate.

If it’s not – play on.

One concession I will make. Whether or not the movement of the hand towards the ball is deliberate is up to the interpretation of the referee. This is an area that certainly can inspire confusion – especially as not all referees seem to understand the rule. I’ve had plenty of arguments with refs at park level who go on about “advantage” or “arm in an unnatural position”, but A-League refs ought to know better and fortunately Chris Beath does seem to know the rule, despite being shouted down and having commentators call for his axing.

There were further examples last round when penalties were given (or not given) and again commentators went off about the inconsistency of referees and their inability to understand the rules. I didn’t see any wrong decisions. I just heard (and read) a whole lot of moaning from people who need to take a good hard look at themselves.

When you think about it, there ought to be very few handball decisions because almost no-one ever really intends to handle the ball. When they do it tends to be obvious – like Thierry Henry’s nasty little effort against Ireland.

So could everyone please read the rules and get off the referees’ backs?

I hate refs as much as any fan but at least they (mostly) get the handballs right.

Adrian’s latest book Political Football: Lawrie McKinna’s Dangerous Truth is in the shops right now or available through Booktopia. Adrian also wrote Mr Cleansheets.