on May 13, 2026, 5:05 pm, in reply to "But surely "deliberately" implies intent which would make it a judgement call"
You only have to look at how the guidance differs between champions league and premier league for a start, unholy mess - glad its not my job to figure it out!
Ste 
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I think the law is badly worded and confusing, the thing about making the body "unnaturally bigger" is an odd way of putting it, your body is the same size whatever shape you're in! Probably meant to mean reaching your arm out in advance of a shot being taken so that the offender can't rely on the "ball to hand" defence saving him. But it doesn't really cover situations like the one being discussed here, if a player is reaching around a player's body to impede him, I would say that's an unnatural position - but the rest of the wording doesn't mention this. Of course it can't cover every situation and some things are inevitably left open to interpretation.
I'd hate to be a ref, but there are justified questions about how well or otherwise the VAR system is being applied. As things stand, I think it's doing more harm than good.
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was that you have no way of knowing what someone intended, only they know. Especially when it comes to tackles.
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...and IMHO the root of the current problems. Pundits & referees are creating their own personal sense of justice. "He didn't mean to do it". That's the wrong approach. Just apply the laws of the game...
The laws state:
HANDLING THE BALL
For the purposes of determining handball offences, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit. Not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence.
It is an offence if a player:
- deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball. That is clear & factual, nothing to do with intent.
- touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised
- scores in the opponents' goal:
- directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper
- immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental
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