Does The Premier League need a change?

The game of football is well enjoyed when it is played smoothly and is not interrupted in any means. The new season of the Premier League is already underway and there are already a lot of controversies regarding VAR (Virtual Assistant Referee) and their handball decisions. Last season we saw teams, fans, players, and managers complaining about the VAR as they were killing the true essence of the game.

(Source: Premier League)

This week, the handball incidents which later turned out to be a penalty proved costly for teams and made them lose points. Tottenham Hotspurs were looking too good in their game against Newcastle United but eventually lost two points at the very last minute due to a penalty decision given by the VAR. Brighton also looked to garner a point against mighty Man United but lost it at the last minute. The same happened with Crystal Palace, who lost a point due to a handball decision against Everton.

The teams who might have got the privilege to get a spot-kick can be happy for the time being while the losing teams can only talk and sulk about it.  

Many blame referees for this while many might think that their team is going wrong somewhere.

(Source: Daily Mail)

But what makes us talk about this issue? Touching the ball by hand is an offense in the game of football. So why are we even talking about it? The point is that the rules which have been set up lately are a little too harsh and we need to know what they say. So let us first talk about what the rules look like. The rules are set up by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and have been updated last season (2019-20). It says as follows:-

1. The goals scored or created by using a hand will be disallowed.

2. The new rule doesn’t identify the intent of the player i.e. if the ball has touched the hand then it is a foul.

3. If the player has made his body position ‘unnaturally bigger’, i.e. his arms are outside the bodyline.

4. The arm above shoulder position will be considered as an unnatural position.

5. The arm can be put between their body and the ground while falling, but should not be used intentionally to stop the ball.

(Source: Eurosport)

The earlier rule just called a deliberate use of the hand as a foul against the player. The new rules get stricter and in my opinion, make every touch of the ball on the hand a foul. The experts say that players especially attackers have been using it as an advantage and been appealing for a foul even if the touch of the ball onto their opponent’s hand is not intentional. 

Well, in my opinion, the handball rules are a little harsh and are definitely playing a part in the results of the game. What I think is that if a person jumps, it is pretty much natural that their hands will be outside their bodyline. So if a ball touches their hand in that way and there is nothing that the guilty player could do about, then it should not be considered as a foul. The foul should be awarded to the team only when the handball is intentional and the players have done it deliberately.

 

I think the referees are having a tough time as well. They are the ones who go on to use the technology to overturn their own decisions, a decision that will impact the course and the result of the game. So we can’t even imagine the pressure they might be going through at that point in time. So it becomes important for us to not criticize them and support and back them as well. 

(Source: The Straits Times)

The game needs to be enjoyed and these things are ruining the game somehow. The managers who have been benefited from these decisions are also not very happy with the same. Roy Hodgson, Jose Mourinho, and Steve Bruce have already talked about it in their respective press conferences. They will be looking to put up their voices and see if anything can change. The Premier League needs to address this problem and make sure that it can be fixed. 

Well, the problem is not only restricted to the Premier League but has also been seen at other places. It becomes important for the apex board to step in and take some necessary steps. We will love to see this happen anytime soon.

- Kshitij

Read our PL Review of the 2019-20 Season