Euro 2020 is set to begin imminently, and with it comes questions about if the tournament will implement that handball rule that club competitions have been enforcing.
But the handball law was most recently in March by football’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), after controversy regarding its implementation.
Goal has what you need to know about whether or not it will be used at the Euros and more.
Will the new handball rule be used at Euro 2020?
Euro 2020 will be implementing the latest version of the law that does not punish players for committing an accidental handball in the build-up to a goal.
"The way the law has been rewritten is more according to the spirit of football and gives players the freedom to play football," said Roberto Rosetti, chairman of UEFA's referees' committee.
The law is set to be used worldwide starting July 2021.
Football figures were left frustrated by the fact that a number of strikes were ruled out after the identification of a seemingly accidental handball in the lead-up to the goal scored.
What is the new handball rule?
The previous handball rule stated that a free kick or penalty would be awarded if:
- the ball goes into the goal after touching an attacker's hand or arm.
- a player wins ball possession after it comes off their hand or arm and then scores, or creates a goalscoring chance.
- the ball touches a player's hand/arm which has made their silhouette unnaturally bigger.
- the ball touches a player's hand/arm when it's raised above their shoulder.
However, Euro 2020 will only observe the latest edition of this rule, where players involved in accidental handballs will not be penalised.
The IFAB also confirmed that a handball will be awarded if a player makes their body an "unnatural silhouette", i.e. making their body bigger with their arm.
It is also deemed an automatic offence if the arm involved in the incident was above shoulder height.