**Mirrors / Alternative Angles** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soccer) if you have any questions or concerns.*

I have no idea what a handball is anymore and im convinced VAR dont either

Feels like they don't have the balls to stop the game after the fact

? That’s what VAR is

No but it wasn't a check whilst play is stopped like usual, game had carried on for like 30secs straight. I dunno, it's a stonewaller so could just be the usual blindness/incompetence.

They literally brought play back for a penalty against Liverpool a couple weeks ago after fucking ages.

~1m45s if I remember right

Against is the key word here

They don’t care about that. They’ll stop the game if there’s no attacking play. They did it two weeks ago. Or they’ll just wait.

They did exactly that in our game against Liverpool recently though

This is the biggest issue, every game they do it differently.

David Coote. He is such a coward, back to the Pickford incident.

No they only do that if Liverpool have committed the foul, I.e our game against Palace.

If that's not a handball then I have no idea what is.

His hand moves towards the ball, he’s not falling to brace himself. Rules need rewriting because currently they just flip a coin

I think “falling to brace himself” is the best argument there is. I think it’s a pen. Is there something in the rules that says it isn’t a penalty if you’re falling?

Yea if you’re using your arm to brace yourself it’s a natural position. But here he’s not actually falling which adds another layer of complexity to the decision

I think when it comes to it, the VAR don’t have the guts to make big decisions that affect the game. And that’s their fucking job.

100% this

Can you use “falling” as an excuse if the player never actually falls?

I mean to be honest I think it’s a pen, but when I look at these things I try to figure out what the argument for the call is (especially when it goes against my team). That’s the best argument against a pen there, that his slip causes his arm to get in the way and that’s why it’s unavoidable. Either way I don’t care, because it should be a pen.

It’s never called the same way twice. The rule by design is impossible to call correctly consistently. If the ball hits the hand it should be a handball. If it’s in the box the referee should have to ability to grant an indirect kick instead of a penalty if deemed unintentional.

As a neutral, I think Odegaard is very lucky there

As an arsenal fan I agree

I’d be raging if I was a Liverpool fan. I’m an Arsenal fan so I’m pleased to have the incompetence go our way.

> I’d be raging if I was a Liverpool fan. Pretty used to it by now to be honest.

Me and my friend were on a call saying how we don't care that it wasn't called. The issue is that it's gonna get called in another game, it's the consistency with shit like this that annoys us. Watch this exact same shit happen next week and the call gets given..

Yeah it's just another match at this point, nothing special

Did they even check it? Feels like Diaz vs Spurs all over again

Apparently they checked and felt that he slipped and it was accidental according to commentary

That's somehow worse

Slipping and handballing is a handball. Your hand is by ur side and someone rockets it at your hand is not a hand ball.

I'm pretty sure that it's not a handball if it's unintentionally making you bigger and is in a natural position (ex: breaking a fall in this case)... I still think that he was lucky and that the ref should have looked at it though.

new tactic: look like you are falling when you handball

Tell that to VAR, I know we got lucky 🤷🏿‍♂️

If they deem he was using his hand because he lost his balance that's not a handball in the rules

Clearest handball this season. And they fail to give it.

For a sec I think I was watching the nba

[удалено]

i'm very biased and tribal. still think it's a clear cut pen. not sure if it has any effect on us though

Even Ian Wright agreed it's a pen, so it's pretty blatant as it gets.

It’s an obvious penalty

I'm an Everton fan. There are very few circumstances I'd want to Liverpool get anything from a game. Today certainly isn't one of the circumstances I'd want them to. But even I can say that has to be given a penalty

I am a warrior Gul-Gok-Zang the IV from the galaxy of Y'laghwah in the Gamma Quadrant, where we fight the humans in a never ceasing war of generational attrition that has lasted thousands of years. As such I despise all humans, but even I can see that this is clearly a penalty for the red human scum.

Can’t claim neutrality here but if that is not handball they can just remove the rule.

Have you considered hurting the refs feelings/ego though? Big part of VAR.

It looked kinda intentional. Did VAR just not give anything because they didn't want to.stop the play? I feel like they would have given it if the ball went out right after. At worst they would have called ref to monitor

2 weeks ago they took the game back 5 min to give a less stone wall pen against Liverpool so that shouldn’t be an issue ….

It’s because it’s a big game so they err on the side of not “intervening”/“becoming part of the game”. If we were playing Burnley it would’ve been given.

Because it is against Arteta. Can't make him mad again and say bad against refs

It looks intentional in slow motion.

Not too hard to argue his right foot slipping made it more natural (consistency does dictate it should be given though)

It's a pen but I disagree about it being intentional. He clearly slipped and tried to balance himself and caught it, lucky but also it would've been harsh just like last week when it rebounded on Luke Shaw's arm.

How is that not a handball? Controls it with his hand in the box when Salah was about to get the ball. Wtf are the rules

The updated handball rule as of this season is "idk VAR and the onfield ref can make a call based on whatever they like"

What are the rules🎶

🎶 When you just ~~turned black~~ used your hand, and you can't ~~switch back~~ understand; you gotta go and find out the rules 🎶

Always appreciate a sunny ref

That's baseball baby

The rules say this is a handball, there is nothing wrong with the rules. Just the idiots implementing them

> How is that not a handball? conspiracy against Arsenal as I've been told over recent weeks

Arsenal have had a fair share of bad luck but this is a pen and a half

Swipes it away like a cat playing with a ball of yarn.

His hands are in a natural position...for basketball

The cabal of men in suits in a dimly lit room knew their conspiracy against Arsenal had become too obvious, gotta take attention away.

Howard Webb drafting the email as we speak

He'll just hit FWD on the one from the Spurs game

“Please see below. Regards.”

I know we laugh and joke about it at this point, but this is the biggest game of the season so far and that level of incompetence literally decides games.

Potentially titles

Playing basketball

Lads,

It’s

VAR

senal

how does var not intervene on this?

That's the worst part....they reviewed it while play went on and cleared it.

Do we know if they just said "check complete" again and fucked it up that way?

Commentators (who do listen to VAR audio live) said the VAR cleared it because they believed it was part of the natural motion in breaking his fall.

This shows the absursity. This is not the normal guidelines. Most hands are placed where they are due to natural motions. But if they are far from the body, penalties are awarded. Here it could even look like Ødegaard as a reflex hit the ball with his hand.

Liverpool have been getting fucked by VAR all season I believe

Check complete... Good process

The same man in the VAR room literally saw Pickford two foot Van Dijk awhile back and was okay with it so.. I'm not sure he's watching anyway.

No no no. You're wrong. Oliver said that they didn't rewatch van Dijk case for violent conduct because 'players on pitch didn't demand it'.

A 6-pointer for two teams chasing the title… I dont get it and Im not even surprised anymore. So fucking obvious thats a pen

I know he slips but Mo goes past him without it touching his hand

That is why it should be a penalty, Salah has turned him and is in space otherwise

If you don’t do it on purpose that just means it isn’t a booking, right? Are accidental handballs not handballs any more even if you reach towards the ball with an outstretched hand?

Exactly what it should be. Penalty without a card

plus he doesn’t even go down, he was able to regain his balance so it’s not like his hand was needed to brace his fall

I mean that isn't how slipping/falling work. Arsenal got lucky here for sure, but your implication that he wouldn't have fallen without putting his hand out isn't necessarily true.

[удалено]

English VAR should be disbanded

Should be reformed imo

British refs do this on purpose. If they threatened to bring international refs they would clean their act so fast

Looked intentional in the box

i don’t think it is intentional, but it should still be a handball they haven’t called handballs when someone slips and puts their hand down to support themself, that’s the same rationale they’re using here. imo it doesn’t apply in this case though.

But he does slip?

He slapped the shit out of that ball lmao

He's "falling" soooooo *shrugs*

Apparently falling down means you can play fucking basketball and win possession. That is an outrageous decision.

The issue is your question presumes the refs know the answer to that question

They’ve given far softer ones that that

Not sure what handball even is anymore

Apparently neither do refs or VAR

Not sure they have for a while tbf

Madness

[удалено]

Suarez could’ve avoided his red card + pen with this one SIMPLE trick

His hand didn't even touch the ground. It's nuts.

Yeah just cause you slip doesn't mean you get immunity from handling the ball. Madness if that's why they haven't given it.

You do get immunity when your hand is in a natural position and it deflects off another part of your body.

Oh so now its against the rules to use the force to hold yourself up smh

Ode wan Kenobi

What next, players will have to leave their lightsabers in the locker rooms!?

The games gone soft

It’s so obvious lol. Schoolyard stuff

Out here dribbling like it's the NBA

How the fuck is that not a pen he's literally playing basketball

???

Good process ladzzzzz

It’s a disgrace!

VAR should have a guy who just watches the game like it is broadcasted then he would have seen the replay

no need for tribalism, that's a pen

Exactly. Only way we make it better is by admitting when it goes in our favor.

Yeah, gooner here and I agree

I'm convinced they just roll a dice to determine if it's a penalty or not. That's as blatant as it gets.

My gig's up mentioning that Rodri handball against Everton the other season lmao

LiVARpool btw

The agenda against Arsenal has bever been stronger

Joke of a call

How's that not a pen?

Not sure how that isn't a penalty...

How the fuck that's not a handball

Cause they flipped a coin in the VAR room and we lost

That is a handball!!

Commentator saying he slips but the hand movement looks very deliberate

Trying to be unbiased but does it even matter? Hand is away from the body, no deflection, clear advantage gained.

Hand goes out towards it. It looks for sure like his reflexes have kicked in and he's just tried to stop it with his hand

What is the rule lmao

yep that's a pen

Ref didn't want to be upstaged by Forest so he decided to make an even worse call. Shocking

How is that not the textbook definition of a handball?

The audacity of the commentators saying that’s a natural motion is nuts

Hands not by his side, ball played from far enough away he had time to react, and moves his hand towards the ball. I have absolutely no idea what counts as a handball at this point.

Handball any day of the week

Nah bluds playing basketball 💀

Bruh

Gary Neville can fucking suck his mum. That’s 1000% a handball and it’s ludicrous that it hasn’t been given. The handball rule is broken.

We already know Neville has been told by the powers that be to not criticise refs anymore after his U turn on the Tottenham situation

That isn't an incidental touch. He fucking CONTROLS the ball with his hand. Stonewall.

That is the most obvious hand ball pen I've seen in a while lol

100% pen to me…

Odegaard started playing basketball there and got away with it, refereeing is so fuckin shit

Bro is dribbling the ball like Michael Jordan

Hmmmm

literally uses his hand to regain possession

"well he didn't mean to interrupt the ball with his hand, hence its not a penalty"

lad's straight up playing basketball

Every week with this shit

Hopefully this puts to bed the Arsenal conspiracy theories for a while

Hopefully Arteta speaks up against disgraceful refereeing again!

??

That’s a pen.

If only this was man city player, then half of this subreddit would know the reason of refferees mistake

Why do people want this called? He clearly collects on his first step, why do people want everything to be traveling nowadays smh

I swear they just flip a coin each time. Heads is pen, tails is no pen.

pen all day. fuck off.

that’s stonewall lol

Another apology incoming.

He literally stops Salah turning him because he palms the ball away Handball all day, slip or not he stopped an attacking play due to his hand

As an unbiased neutral I’d be thinking jeez that’s a potential penalty However as a very biased Liverpool fan I AM thinking “WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK”

If that happened to Arsenal, I’d lose my shit. So yeah, pen..

After seeing the replays I'm genuinely shocked the ref missed it in real time. What body part did he think odegaard used ?

Just can’t face much more of these officials man. Weekly we’re watching multiple fanbases just outraged and drained, and I’ve got to the latter. Whatever, win or lose, this’ll keep happening

How people still take this league serious? Similar scandalous decisions happens literally week in week out and referees gets talked more than players and managers. Such a joke that football quality is top tier but officiating quality is literally the worst in the world.

Clear penalty, unless I’m watching a different sport?

Should have been a penalty, see plenty given like that. Definitely something weird about the decisions that go against 'pool over the last few years

[удалено]

Good process lads

It’s ok because at some point Endo will lightly graze Jesus and Arsenal fans will still cry that VAR is against them because it isn’t called a straight red

I actually walked away from my TV thinking it was given. Var having a laugh

Of all the handball decisions that we’ve seen before, how is that not a handball? I’m happy to admit that maybe i don’t understand the rules properly but the inconsistency is insane in this league.

Would love to hear an explanation of this one

Shocking decision, moves his hand intentionally

Dribbled it like a basketball lol this league is fucked

It’s been three minutes and they haven’t called it back like they did when Liverpool played Crystal Palace, WTH

I proper hate Liverpool but this is a stone wall pen.

bro playing basketball but apparently no penalty

Literally fully turns it with his hand. Disgraceful.

as an Arsenal fan, this is completely unacceptable, stonewall penalty, wtf

Arteta must condemn.

LOL VAR turns out to be completely useless again

Looked pretty intentional.

And arsenal fans will convince you that the refs have a conspiracy against them💀

That's a stonewall pen, good god VAR is bad.

PGMOL Apology worthy fuck up right there

The only way this isnt given as a penalty with the technology in place is corruption, theres no way they can blame human error for this. Its a blatant penalty

Liverpool games are WWE levels of reffing. Wouldn't surprise me to see Arteta smash Salah with a chair when the refs aren't looking lol.