Are penalties a disproportionate punishment for most handball offences?

[Melbourne Red]

Penalties are a fun, game-changing variable IMO. Keeps things fresh.

 

[Solius]

Indirect free-kicks please.

 

[Chicharo]

Definitely. Anything other than a clearly intentional handball should result in an indirect free-kick.
It's silly to award a penalty when a player has no control over his hands.

 

[acnumber9]

Definitely. Anything other than a clearly intentional handball should result in an indirect free-kick.
It's silly to award a penalty when a player has no control over his hands.

Context needs to matter. It may be accidental but if you’ve gained an advantage and it stops a goal, it has to be a penalty regardless. The problem, as always, is the lack of consistency.

 

[Solius]

Context needs to matter. It may be accidental but if you’ve gained an advantage and it stops a goal, it has to be a penalty regardless. The problem, as always, is the lack of consistency.

Needs to be more contextual definitely. But with the current rules a blatant handball on the line gives the same reward as an accidental one that flicks up onto someone’s arm just inside the box facing away from goal.

 

[acnumber9]

Needs to be more contextual definitely. But with the current rules a blatant handball on the line gives the same reward as an accidental one that flicks up onto someone’s arm just inside the box facing away from goal.

Removing penalties only encourages defenders to make themselves as big as possible though. It’s a fine line.

 

[sparx99]

Context needs to matter. It may be accidental but if you’ve gained an advantage and it stops a goal, it has to be a penalty regardless. The problem, as always, is the lack of consistency.

Indirect free kick for unintentional handball unless the shot is on target. It’s it’s intentional or on target it should be a penalty.

 

[acnumber9]

Indirect free kick for unintentional handball unless the shot is on target. It’s it’s intentional or on target it should be a penalty.

Which would just mean defenders have no reason not to make themselves bigger as there is no real ‘penalty’ for doing it. Intentional is always going to be near impossible to prove.

 

[RuudTom83]

Removing penalties only encourages defenders to make themselves as big as possible though. It’s a fine line.

^ Yeah very true.

In a lot of cases I don’t hate the idea of awarding an indirect free-kick, but as you point out it’s a fine line.

McTom had a lifetime to sort his arm out tonight so he has no excuse in that case.

 

[acnumber9]

^ Yeah very true.

In a lot of cases I don’t hate the idea of awarding an indirect free-kick, but as you point out it’s a fine line.

McTom had a lifetime to sort his arm out tonight so he has no excuse in that case.

McTominay lent into the ball. His arm was by his side but he deliberately moved towards the ball so it was fairly clear cut.

 

[sparx99]

Which would just mean defenders have no reason not to make themselves bigger as there is no real ‘penalty’ for doing it. Intentional is always going to be near impossible to prove.

I don’t think defenders are suddenly going to be spreading their arms to block crosses. You could still punish unnatural positon as intentional.

What we have at the moment is players being punished far too harshly or not at all. If the cross strikes an arm which is out for balance that shouldn’t be a penalty but it also shouldn’t be wave play on either because you stopped a cross. An indirect free kick is the ideal scenario. Essentially anytime it hits a hand the game should stop.

Plus, if we had a load more indirect free kicks then teams could get creative.

 

[Sky1981]

Rules is rules.

Also there are refs to judge in the even of dubious cases.

The system is fine. It's up to the ref to step up the judgment

 

[pratyush_utd]

Problem with indirect free kick will be that players will intentionally start doing handball inside the box.

 

[Solius]

Problem with indirect free kick will be that players will intentionally start doing handball inside the box.

If it’s intentional then give a pen. Movement towards the ball like McTominay today is a pen. The ball striking an arm from very close or a deflection onto it would be an indirect free kick instead of a pen.

 

[surf]

The laws are OK. Defenders should watch videos of smart players like Rio and learn from it. He rarely gave away free kicks or penalties and part of that was he knew exactly how much he could get away with.