"Rain ball"

Handball? Now it’s “raining” in the rulebook

There are new guidelines for referees when judging handball penalties.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

A new UEFA interpretation of the handball rule is causing discussion in domestic Bundesliga soccer. Not every handball in the penalty area is automatically punishable.

A penalty for Rapid after an Aiwu handball robbed Sturm of a 1:1 victory. Prior to that, a last-minute penalty for Rapid deprived GAK of three points in a 1-1 draw. And Hartberg also complained about the disallowance of a supposedly regular goal and a missed penalty in the 2-1 draw against Rapid. However, TSV chairman Erich Korherr was informed of a new regulation regarding penalty judgments. This should also shed some light on the heated penalty discussions in the fan camps.

In accordance with IFAB Law 12, UEFA explained the new introduction of the so-called "raining ball" - an extension of the handball interpretation. This means that if a ball falls from above and touches a player's arm, there are several aspects that should help determine whether the situation is punishable or not:

There are new UEFA instructions for punishable handball.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

1. direction of flight of the ball: A "raining ball" is a ball that falls from top to bottom and touches a player's arm. This situation is generally considered non-punishable, or punishable depending on the position of the arm.

2. position of the arm: If the arm is not fully extended, contact is not considered punishable.

3. further conditions: In addition, another player (offensive or defensive) must be in front of the defender. This means that the ball does not fall directly to the defender's advantage, as an attacker (or another defender) is also close to the play.

These assessment guidelines are already applied in UEFA European Cup matches. Austria's referees were also instructed in the course of the elite seminar on October 13/14 on the corresponding implementation in Bundesliga matches.

GAK sporting director Didi Elsneg is very positive about the innovation: "I have a great deal of understanding for this new interpretation, because certain handball is simply unavoidable due to natural body movements."