IFAB urged to address 'controversial law' after Celtic vs Rangers incident as former referee speaks out

A former Premier League referee reckons IFAB need to look at the handball rule after a Rangers goal was chopped off versus Celtic.

The Light Blues won 1-0 at Parkhead on Sunday in the Premiership but it could have been more comfortable had Olwethu Makhanya’s brilliant strike from outside the box counted. VAR intervened to rule it out after the ball struck his arm in the build-up. It comes in a weekend of controversy where Hearts have sought SFA clarification over their disallowed goal in a 1-1 draw at Kilmarnock.

Laurent Mendy’s goal was chopped off for the same reasons as Makhanya, however, defender Cathal McCarthy headed the ball on its way into the net. It puts into doubt whether Mendy was the scorer, as if it was deemed an own goal, then the effort would have stood under current rule because the Hearts midfielder did not tuck the ball home himself.

Ex Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg reckons football lawmakers IFAB need to step in and make the rule on that element of handball clearer. He told GRV Media: “The law is clear, and if a player touches the ball with his hand before immediately scoring, then the goal must be disallowed. Olwethu Makhanya’s brilliant strike was disallowed as the ball touched his arm before he struck the ball to goal.

“I believe the decision to be correct, but I feel IFAB need to address this at the next meeting, as it’s becoming more and more a controversial law, especially what we have seen in England and Scotland in recent weeks.”

IFAB rules currently state: state: “A handball offence is committed when a player (except the goalkeeper in their own penalty area) deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, touches the ball with their hand/arm when it is in a position that makes their body unnaturally bigger and that position is not the result of their body moving fairly as part of play, scores a goal against the other team with their hand/arm or scores immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm (even if the touch was accidental).

“A handball offence is not committed when a player heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards), falls and the ball hits their supporting arm, which is between their body and the ground (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team), is hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team).”

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