The IFAB rule that makes a mockery of UEFA officials’ decision to disallow Celtic’s goal vs SC Braga

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Kelechi Iheanacho’s disallowed goal in Celtic’s defeat to SC Braga has certainly caught most of the headlines today.

Celtic’s defeat to SC Braga was deserved after the team’s insipid performance in Brendan Rodgers’ first-ever Europa League tie as the Hoops boss.

Rodgers watched his side huff and puff their way as Celtic struggled to break down an SC Braga defence that has leaked goals for fun in Portugal.

However, the result could have been so different had Kelechi Iheanacho’s Celtic goal had not been disallowed for handball by the UEFA officials.

After a lengthy VAR check, the video referee went along with the onfield decision but all that time could have been saved if the men from UEFA paid a wee visit to the IFAB website page on the handball rule.

• READ MORE: How Dermot Desmond reacted when ‘approached’ and quizzed about Celtic fan protests

The IFAB handball rule explained after controversial Celtic Park decision

The handball rule is one that VAR has confused so much that it’s not just Celtic fans who left confused.

As per the IFAB website, the handball rule is as follows:

• Handball is the illegal contact/touch of the ball with the hand(s) and/or arm(s). However, it is not automatically a handball offence every time the ball touches a player’s hand/arm.
• Only contact between the ball and the hand or the arm below the bottom of the armpit is considered when judging possible handball offences.

IFAB then go on to explain when a handball offence can’t be called if it hits a player on the arm:

• Heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards)

There is more to the IFAB handball rule that makes UEFA’s Celtic decision even worse

With the officials claiming the ball hit Iheanacho’s shoulder being given as the reason for chalking off Celtic’s goal, IFAB are clear on what referees should do if this occurs.

• Only contact between the ball and the hand or the arm below the bottom of the armpit is considered when judging possible handball offences.

Put simply, any contact by the ball above the shirt line on a player’s arm is deemed as not a handball and therefore should not be given.

There is even a plain and simple graphic on IFAB’s website clearly explaining this.

It will be interesting to hear UEFA explain this away after a decision was made last summer to align themselves with the IFAB handball ruling.