SM
The avuncular one
Had another funny one today. The second goal of my game had an appeal for handball when a shot from an attacker hit a defender and at short range bounced against another attacker who then shot and scored. The defenders felt it was handball - I was unsure what it had hit as it happened very quickly - either way you are screwed here; one side or the other is going to be angered. I wasn't sure what I had seen, didn't look like hand or arm, and I was in a decent position to see it, unobstructed view etc.
As I hadn't seen the handball and if it did hit a hand it was never deliberate, I allowed the goal.
Funnily enough, the defenders discounted the fact I had not actually seen the handball. Still had one hell of a job explaining that even if it had hit his hand/arm, at that range and speed it was never deliberate. Apparently it doesn't matter if it is deliberate or not! These are grown men here. I said "handball in itself is not an offence, you know it has to be deliberate handball for it to be an offence don't you?" Cue much teenager styled "deliberate! deliberate! it is handball! You have to give it if it hits a hand"
Someone get onto the IFAB and get the rules changed!
As I hadn't seen the handball and if it did hit a hand it was never deliberate, I allowed the goal.
Funnily enough, the defenders discounted the fact I had not actually seen the handball. Still had one hell of a job explaining that even if it had hit his hand/arm, at that range and speed it was never deliberate. Apparently it doesn't matter if it is deliberate or not! These are grown men here. I said "handball in itself is not an offence, you know it has to be deliberate handball for it to be an offence don't you?" Cue much teenager styled "deliberate! deliberate! it is handball! You have to give it if it hits a hand"
Someone get onto the IFAB and get the rules changed!