Football's rulemaker makes further changes to handball rules

Football - Premier League - Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - March 4, 2021. General view of a big screen displaying a VAR decision to disallow a goal. [Pool via REUTERS/Kirsty Wigglesworth]

Football's rulemaker IFAB has changed the laws of the game so that accidental handballs leading to a teammate scoring will no longer be penalised.

It was previously the case that a handball would be given if the ball touched a player's or a team mate's hand or arm immediately before a goal was scored or a goalscoring opportunity was created.

While goals scored directly from the arm or hand or immediately after will continue to be ruled out, even if accidental, it will no longer be the case that goals will be chalked off if the ball touches a team mate's hand earlier in the buildup.

"Accidental handball that leads to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goal-scoring opportunity will no longer be considered an offence," IFAB said in a statement following their Annual General Meeting.

Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Liverpool - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - November 28, 2020. Referee Stuart Attwell during a VAR review of a possible penalty to Brighton. [Pool via REUTERS/Mike Hewitt]

Bundesliga Referee Bibiana Steinhaus (2L) and referee Thorben Siewer (L) sit at the Video Assist Center (VAC) during the Media Workshop "Video Assistant" at the Cologne Broadcasting Center in Cologne, western Germany, on August 05, 2019. [Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP]