Howard Webb has revealed why Premier League officials haven't awarded a single penalty for handball this season. During the 2023/2024 campaign, the English top-flight saw an influx of 108 penalties, sparking notable complaints from numerous clubs regarding decisions - especially those involving players whose arms were in 'natural positions'.
Adjustments to the handball rule dictate that penalties will be less frequently given if the offence is unintentional, or the player's arm is close to their body - and the changes are being reflected in current officiating trends. Beyond that, players who inadvertently deny a goalscoring opportunity, owing to handball, can expect to receive a yellow card instead of a red.
Webb explained the situation while on Match Officials Mic'd Up. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief said: "We consulted with lots of stakeholders in the game during the latter part of last season and the message we were being given is that there's clearly too many handball penalties being given in the English game, in the Premier League, for situations where players are playing fairly normally and naturally [where] we know players' arms move."
He added: "So we said to the officials [to] look out for those situations where a player either deliberately handles the ball or has an arm that's well away from the body. We've seen situation where the balls hit the arm in the penalty area this season - but the referees applied what we asked them to do and they've stepped away in terms of handball unless it's deliberate or very clearly unjustifiable."
Another change which has been introduced in the Premier League this season is reducing the number of VAR interventions unless the referee's on-call decision is blatantly incorrect. Communication has been enhanced, as well, with disallowed goals set to be displayed on big screens in stadiums.
There has already been controversy around VAR this season with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes receiving a red card against Tottenham. Officials at Stockley Park chose not to overturn the decision despite the player slipping before making contact with James Maddison.
This follows a vote by stakeholders in June where Premier League clubs voted to retain VAR. At that point, Wolves were the only team opposing the much-talked-about technology.