Originally Posted by sillan
Head of Uefa referees Robert Rossetti told the Times in January that - when VAR was introduced into this season's Champions League - officials would penalise any unnatural arm movement that makes contact with the ball.
As reported by Times in January 23
English teams can expect a stricter enforcement of handball decisions from the new video referees in the Champions League than they may be used to in the Premier League, according to Uefa's head of refereeing.
Roberto Rosetti said that the introduction of video assistant referees (VARs), which will begin in the first knockout round matches next month, will see interventions for any clear or factual decisions including the narrowest offside calls or obvious fouls but with clear errors needed before subjective decisions are changed.
The Italian, who took over from Pierluigi Collina as Uefa's chief refereeing officer in August having worked on the introduction of VAR systems in Serie A and the World Cup, added that officials will penalise handballs if defenders use*their arms to make their bodies ?bigger? to block crosses or shots.
The International FA Board (Ifab), the game's law-making body, will meet in March*to clarify the law that handballs must always be deliberate.
Rosetti agreed that referees in England have been more lenient in punishing handballs than on the continent ? English officials often do not penalise incidents if they view it as being ball to hand. He told*The Times: Yes, I think so. I think we need to clarify to try to be more consistent because in England the concept of handball may be different to in Greece or Turkey.
Handball is the most controversial topic not only in England, and Ifab is doing something to try to clarify the law.
If the position of the arm is natural or normal we cannot penalise a player. There is the concept of deliberate but it is not easy to see that because I cant say I have ever seen a defender deliberately doing a handball.
?The big challenge is the position of the arm. When the arm is totally out of the body above the shoulder it should be penalised, If the defender is making the body bigger in order to block the ball it is not fair.
It is different if the defender is challenging or playing the ball and it rebounds. But if he is looking to block a cross or a shot on goal and the player is trying to spread his body then it is a handball.
Rosetti said the VARs would be on site at each Champions League games, and would intervene for any factual decisions offsides, if a foul is inside or outside the penalty area, if the ball is out of the field of play.
He added: For offside he has to intervene. We have 3D technology, the most accurate in place, there is nothing better, and we can be precise.
?For other situations, such as pushing or pulling the referee has to understand the intensity and the force and it is more difficult for the VAR to intervene.?
