Change of rules: handball allowed again... but only by accident

Thursday night - double standards across the pitches of the Premier League. Friday morning - a change of rules. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has corrected the rule regarding handball, after opposite interpretations of almost identical situations in the matches Fulham - Tottenham and Liverpool - Chelsea.

In London, the home team's equalizing goal was annulled after VAR determined that after Josh Maja's shot, the ball hit Mario Lemina in the arm, even though it was next to his body throughout the whole play and he had nowhere else to place it, while at Anfield, the Reds were not given a penaltywhen N'Golo Kante obviously touched the ball with his fist after Sadio Mane's cross.

As many as four of the eight members of IFAB are English - the remaining four are provided by FIFA and it is easy to assume that they were most wondering whether the rule of playing by hand would be uniformed. And even if they didn't, a reaction would certainly have to follow, because before these there were dozens of unequally treated situations.

To avoid more of such situations, The International Football Association Board has announced that from now on, not every handball will be treated as an offence. Everyone hopes it will help that we will no longer watch somewhat absurd scenes.

Basically, it is a handball offence if a player:

* Deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball;

* 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; or

* Scores in the opponents’ goal:

- directly by hand, even if it is accidental;

- immediately after the ball has touched the hand, even if it is accidental.

Most important:

* Accidental handball that leads to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an offence.