Report: Premier League seek change after Spurs incident

According to The Times, the Premier League are set to ask football’s lawmakers to change the rules involving handball following two controversial VAR decisions on Thursday.

Harry Kane’s equaliser against Sheffield United was ruled out by the VAR with Michael Oliver, deeming that the ball had struck Lucas Moura’s arm when the Brazilian was falling to the floor in the build-up the goal.

The decision has generated plenty of controversy with the likes of Jamie Redknapp and Graeme Souness questioning the lack of common sense from Oliver.

The amendment to the handball law which came into effect at the start of the season states that a goal has to be ruled out if the ball hits an an arm in the lead up to the goal.

The new rules did not give much room for interpretation to Oliver, as explained by former Premier League referee Michael Clattenburg in his Daily Mail column.

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez also had a goal disallowed against Liverpool on Thursday because of a handball by Phil Foden.

The Times reveal that the two incidents could prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as the Premier League are concerned, as they prepare to approach the International Football Association Board (IFAB) asking for the law to be changed.

It is claimed that Premier League managers, players and clubs believe that at least six goals have been wrongly ruled out this season due to the new laws.

The report asserts that the referees in England also want the rules to be looked at as they are unhappy with the outcome of the changes to the handball laws.

Spurs Web Opinion

If there is some good to come out of the Lucas Moura incident, hopefully, it is to show how ridiculous the new handball laws are when taken to the extreme. In the context where every detail of each goal is scrutinized with a dozen slow-motion replays, the new handball laws certainly seem to be doing more harm than good.

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