Handball

Not every touch of a hand or arm is an offence, and the Laws say so in those words. There are three separate offences: deliberately touching the ball with the hand or arm, touching it with a hand or arm that has made the body unnaturally bigger, and scoring directly from the hand or arm or immediately after it, even accidentally.^3, ^4, ^5, ^6, ^7, ^8, ⁹

Key points

✓Not every touch of a player's hand or arm with the ball is an offence, which the Laws state in their own words before listing any of them³
✓The upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit, so contact above that line is not handball at all³
✓Deliberate handball: touching the ball deliberately, of which moving the hand or arm towards the ball is the Law's own example^4, ⁵
✓Unnaturally bigger body: the hand or arm position is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player's body movement for that specific situation^4, ⁶
✓The unnatural-position offence needs no intent at all, so the two tests are independent rather than one combined test^4, ⁶
✓A player whose hand or arm is in such a position takes the risk of it being hit by the ball and penalised, which is the Law's own wording for why no intent is needed^4, ⁶

Show the remaining 10 key points

✓Scoring directly from the hand or arm, or immediately after it touches the hand or arm, is an offence even when accidental, and that one covers the goalkeeper too^4, ^7, ^8, ⁹
✓The scoring offence names the scorer's own hand or arm, so an accidental touch by a team-mate earlier in the move is outside it^4, ^7, ^8, ⁹
✓Where the arm is moving with the player's own action, the question is always whether that movement justifies where the arm was, which is Ruleside applying the Law's test rather than a separate rule about arms being close to the body^4, ⁶
✓A goalkeeper has the same handball restrictions as any other player outside their own penalty area¹⁰
✓A handball offence is a direct free kick however it is committed, with one exception written into the bullet itself: the goalkeeper within their own penalty area^1, ²
✓Inside the offenders own penalty area the same offence is a penalty kick^1, ^2, ²⁰
✓Deliberate handball denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity is a sending-off wherever it happens, except for a goalkeeper inside their own penalty area^15, ^16, ¹⁸
✓A non-deliberate handball denying the same thing is a sending-off outside the offenders own penalty area, and a caution where a penalty kick is awarded for it^11, ^13, ^15, ^17, ¹⁹
✓Handling to interfere with or stop a promising attack is a caution, except where a penalty kick is awarded for a non-deliberate handball, so the same act inside the area can produce a penalty and no card^11, ¹²
✓Handling in an attempt to score is a caution whether or not the attempt succeeds^11, ¹⁴

Read the full rule

Scenarios

Scenario 1

Teammate clearance deflects to hand

No penalty

A defender heads the ball, it deflects off another defender's arm that is tucked close to their body.

Correct call: No handball. The question is whether the arm position was a consequence of, or justifiable by, the defender's own body movement, and an arm tucked in while heading clear is.

Common mistake: Giving a penalty because the ball hit the arm, without asking whether the arm position was justifiable by what the player was doing.

Law^4, ⁶

Scenario 2

Attacker scores after ball hits own arm

No goal

A forward controls a cross, the ball bounces off their outstretched arm, and they score immediately after.

Correct call: Goal disallowed. Scoring immediately after the ball has touched the scorer's own hand or arm is an offence even when accidental.

Common mistake: Allowing the goal because the handball appeared accidental. Intent is irrelevant to this particular offence.

Law^4, ^7, ^8, ⁹

Scenario 3

Accidental handball earlier in the move

Goal

A midfielder's arm accidentally touches the ball in his own half. Play continues, and eight seconds later a team-mate scores.

Correct call: Goal stands. The scoring offence names the scorer's own hand or arm, directly or immediately before scoring. An accidental touch by a team-mate earlier in the move is outside it.

Common mistake: Disallowing the goal because a handball happened somewhere in the build-up. The Laws' scoring offence reaches the scorer's own hand or arm, and nothing in Law 12 disallows a goal for a team-mate's accidental touch earlier in the move.

Law^4, ^7, ^8, ⁹

Scenario 4

Defender arm extended in wall

Penalty

A player in a defensive wall jumps with an arm raised above their head. The free kick hits that arm.

Correct call: Penalty if the referee judges the arm position was not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player's body movement for that situation. Raising an arm above the head in a wall is hard to justify by the jump itself.

Common mistake: Ruling no handball simply because the player was jumping. The jump has to actually justify where the arm was, and it does not do so automatically.

Law^4, ⁶

The full rule

Handball is one of the most misunderstood rules in football, partly because people look for a single test when the Laws set out three independent ones under "It is an offence if a player". The first is deliberate handling: touching the ball deliberately with the hand or arm, and the Law gives moving the hand or arm towards the ball as its example rather than as its definition. The second requires no intent at all. A player commits an offence by touching the ball with a hand or arm that has made their body unnaturally bigger, and the Law defines that precisely: the body is unnaturally bigger when the position of the hand or arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player's body movement for that specific situation. It asks about the movement the player was actually making, and by putting the arm in such a position the player takes the risk of it being hit and penalised. The third offence is scoring. A player commits an offence if they score in the opponents' goal directly from their hand or arm, even accidentally, including the goalkeeper, or immediately after the ball has touched their hand or arm, even accidentally. Note how narrow that is: it names the scorer's own hand or arm and the moment of scoring, so an accidental touch by a team-mate earlier in the move is not within it. There is one line the Laws do draw on the body: for the purposes of determining handball offences, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit, so a ball off the shoulder above that line is not a handball offence at all. A goalkeeper has the same restrictions on handling as any other player outside their penalty area. What none of that settles is what the offence costs, which Law 12 and Law 14 answer separately. A handball offence is a direct free kick however it is committed, with one exception written into the bullet itself, the goalkeeper within their own penalty area, and it becomes a penalty kick where the offence occurred inside their own penalty area. The card then turns on what the handball did and on whether it was deliberate. Deliberate handball denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity is a sending-off wherever it happens, except for a goalkeeper inside their own penalty area. A non-deliberate handball denying the same thing is a sending-off outside the offenders own penalty area and a caution where a penalty kick is awarded for it. Handling to interfere with or stop a promising attack is a caution, except where the referee awards a penalty kick for a non-deliberate handball, so the same act inside the area can produce a penalty and no card at all. And handling in an attempt to score is a caution whether or not the attempt succeeds.^1, ^2, ^3, ^4, ^5, ^6, ^7, ^8, ^9, ^10, ^11, ^12, ^13, ^14, ^15, ^16, ^17, ^18, ^19, ²⁰