2) Handball on the goal-line will see the referee award a goal
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Why, IFAB? Why would you do this? Do the IFAB want to improve the game by ridding the game of any drama? The current rules are more than good enough to deal with this kind of situation. So let’s look at it in the two possible scenarios.
a) A defender mistakenly handles the ball on the goal-line with no intention to play it
Most of the time, especially on set pieces, a defender is posted on the line and is charged with preventing the ball from crossing the line rather than marking a player. In several cases, they have neither the time nor room to manoeuvre when the ball comes at them within a fraction of a second. While they are trained to keep their hands behind them, handballs are a possibility.
Award the penalty (and a yellow card) or allow play to go on depending on the nature of the handball. Move on.
b) A defender deliberately handles the ball on the goal-line
Remember Luis Suarez at the 2010 World Cup? When a Ghana header was on target, his first instinct was to block it with his hand. He was shown a red card and Ghana were awarded a penalty – which they subsequently missed, thereby losing their opportunity to advance to the next round.
Rules were ‘broken’ but the punishment befit the crime. So why not stick with the same rules because it added so much drama to that quarter-final? Awarding a goal is again a rule in basketball (called goaltending) which is a legitimate concern in the sport and without which the game would never be the same.
But basketball sees points scored every few seconds. It’s not the same case with goals in football, is it? Besides, deliberate handballs are suicidal as no team wants to play with 10 men.
