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Handball after ball hits another body part

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Trip

RefChat Addict
Level 5 Referee
I thought I'd already asked this question but now I can't find it.

My son is likely to be doing the course this year and so I did the new online LOTG modules to see what they were like. I got one question 'wrong'. There was a clip of a defender sliding to block a shot. The ball hits her leg and then hits her arm which is vertical. I said penalty for handball. The 'correct' answer was apparently that it can't be handball if it hits another body part first (unless it goes straight in the goal). I can't find this in Law 12?
 
The Ref Stop
That's an old criterion (or a consideration - I cant remember) that was remove from law a few years ago. It was there only a year or two. I suspect the online module you did is also old.

It is now on referee discretion who may take that into consideration (but the consideration is not in the book).
 
If you check IFAB's simplified Football Rules website (footballrules.com) it is stated very clearly:

"A handball offence is not committed when a player:


  • heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards)
  • falls and the ball hits their supporting arm, which is between their body and the ground (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team)
  • is hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team)"
 
If you check IFAB's simplified Football Rules website (footballrules.com) it is stated very clearly:

"A handball offence is not committed when a player:


  • heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards)
  • falls and the ball hits their supporting arm, which is between their body and the ground (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team)
  • is hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team)"
When were they last updated?
 
When were they last updated?

2023 . . . point made😁
I was just looking out of curiosity and saw that it was for 2025/2026. With that said, I couldn't find the new eight second rule for goal keepers in the Simplified Rules. Below is a copy and paste from the pdf of the Simplified Rules. It says 2025/26.

What is not a handball offence in football? A handball offence is not committed when a player: • heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards) • falls and the ball hits their supporting arm, which is between their body and the ground (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team) more >> The International Football Association Board 2024® All Rights Reserved. / 2025/26
 
The Rules also include:

"What happens if?
A player is hit on the hand/arm by the ball from a team-mate’s kick/header?
This is not a handball (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a
direct free kick is awarded to the other team)"
So, if a player kicks the ball, and it hits their team-mate 20 metres away on the arm, no offence(?)
 
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