We’ve had two nights of handball controversy, first involving Bayern Munich and now Arsenal.
In both cases, the ball took a deflection off the body before hitting the arm, and fans have been conditioned into thinking this means there cannot be a penalty.
What referees actually look for is a clear change of trajectory. Why is that? Because it means the arm position would not create a barrier to the natural direction of the ball.
If the ball stays on roughly its intended path, then the ball touching the arm takes precedent.
The penalty given against Alphonso Davies on Tuesday would not have been awarded in the Premier League as the arm was too close to the body.
For Uefa, the fact that the arm moves out from the body before the ball hits it would trump the small deflection.
But Ben White’s handball against Atletico was a very clear penalty under Uefa’s definition. The arm was a long way out from the body and came in to make contact with the ball.
There is some discretion if the arm is being brought in to make the body smaller, but in White’s case it started from so far out, a penalty would be expected.
The Premier League is more relaxed than Europe even when it comes to deflections before a handball. That said, Arsenal defender Gabriel should have really conceded a penalty at Newcastle earlier this season as his arm, when sliding, was raised very high and the deflection off the body was negligible.
Would the ball deflecting off White’s shin have caused VAR to stay out of this in the Premier League? Possibly, but the movement of the arm was very clear.
A definite spot-kick in Europe, borderline for the Premier League.