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J1 League Matchweek 7 FC Machida Zelvia vs Yokohama F. Marinos

[Handball / Goal Disallowed] A goal disallowed for handball when controlling the ball, found during an offside check

Written by Karakasa, Class 2 Football Referee Published

An original analysis of real match footage.

Final Decision

VAR / OFR

Handball / Goal Disallowed

Close call

From a Yokohama F. Marinos corner kick, No. 9 controlled a shot and put the ball in the net, but the assistant referee raised the flag and offside was given on the field. The VAR check found that it was not offside, but it also confirmed that the ball had struck the arm of Yokohama FM's No. 9, who took the shot, as they controlled it. The goal was disallowed for a handball offence, and play restarted with a direct free kick to FC Machida Zelvia.

Referee Review

Why was this decision made?

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Show explanation

How the footage and Laws apply

This is a complex incident with several aspects to check, moving from an offside check to the identification of a handball offence. The match officials on the field initially gave offside, so the VAR first checked whether there was an offside offence. The footage showed that the player was not in an offside position, but on further checking of the whole move leading to the goal, it was confirmed that the ball had struck the arm of Yokohama FM's No. 9, who took the final shot, as they controlled the ball. Under the Laws of the Game, not every accidental touch of the ball on a player's hand/arm is a handball offence. It is, however, an offence if a player scores in the opponents' goal "immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental". In this scene, the player scored immediately after the ball touched their own arm, so the goal was disallowed for a handball offence. If, instead, the ball had touched No. 9's hand/arm and a different team-mate had then received the ball and scored, under the current Laws an accidental touch would not be a handball offence, and the goal would be allowed.

Relevant Laws

Law 11 - Offside / Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct (Handling the ball) / Law 13 - Free Kicks

Official references

Check the wording of the Laws

The links above lead to official IFAB and JFA resources. The application of the Laws to this incident is the author’s analysis and is not an official view of IFAB, JFA or the competition organiser.

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