Deliberately handling the ball

Deliberately handling the ball

Among all fouls arising during the course of the game, handballs—or deliberately handling the ball, in the terminology of the Laws—may well cause the most disagreements, misunderstandings, and trouble for the referee.

Handling is the only foul not committed against an opposing player. It is, instead, committed against the opposing team. But it is also the only penal foul requiring a deliberate intent by the player committing the foul. The foul is not, after all, “letting the ball touch the hand” but rather “deliberately handling the ball.” Consequently, it is often said that if the ball plays the hand it is not a foul, but if the hand plays the ball, then it is.

This rule of thumb is, however, much more easily said than put into practice. In addition, it also conflicts with the far more conventional rule, which is loudly proclaimed by players, coaches, and spectators around the world: If it hits the hand of an opposing player, it is a handball. But given the fact that most players are blessed with at least two arms—which must be placed somewhere during the course of a match, if only to be available for throw-ins—it would be unfair to penalize players for accidental touches which are neither intended nor avoidable. A few moments of thought should be enough for us to understand the basic concepts:

Above all else, handling fouls require deliberate contact between the ball and a player’s hand or arm. This means that the player either chose not to avoid touching the ball or placed his arms in an unnatural playing position to make it likely that he would touch the ball. And there are many aspects of hand-to-ball contact for the referee to consider when deciding whether a handball is deliberate. An uneven playing surfaces can cause the ball to deflect at odd angles, making it hard for players to know how it will bounce. Players who are unchallenged in the open field have no incentive to handle the ball, since it will be easily detected—which often suggests an unintentional handling, especially on the fields where the playing surface itself not quite putting-green smooth. On the other hand, because players intending to commit a foul often try to hide their actions from the officials, many intentional handballs will occur just out of sight of the referee, a factor which makes cooperation between the officials all-the-more essential.

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