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2026/27 J1 League Matchweek 1 Yokohama F. Marinos vs Kashima Antlers

[Handball / Penalty Kick] VAR intervention leads to a handball offence and a penalty kick when a shot is blocked

Final Decision

VAR / OFR

Handball / Penalty Kick

Close call

A shot from a Kashima Antlers player was stopped by the Yokohama F. Marinos goalkeeper. The VAR intervened, however, and following an on-field review (OFR) the referee judged that there had been a handball offence and awarded a penalty kick to Kashima.

Referee Review

Why was this decision made?

See the key points from a referee’s perspective

Show explanation

Key Points

This is an incident on which opinions divide, and the question is whether the player can be said to have made their body unnaturally bigger. Watching the footage again, it can be seen that after the Kashima player took the shot, the ball made faint contact with the right hand of a Yokohama F. Marinos defending player. It is worth restating here that a handball offence is judged on whether or not the ball made contact, even when, as here, that contact is only slight. How firmly the ball struck the arm does not form part of the reasoning or the grounds for the decision. In the same way, whether the shot was heading towards the goal has no bearing on whether there is a handball offence. Start from this point: the decision rests on whether or not contact was made, and on whether the position of the arm constitutes an offence. On that basis, whether this defending player's right hand made their body unnaturally bigger is the part left to the referee's judgement. Here the right hand was in front of the body and above knee height, and having the arm in this position is regarded as having made the body unnaturally bigger. The referee therefore judged that there was a handball offence. What do you think?

Relevant Laws

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct (Handling the ball)

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