UEFA orders penalties for handball after goal-kicks following Barcelona controversy

UEFA refereeing chief Roberto Rosetti says a handball inside the penalty area after a goal-kick will result in a penalty from now on, regardless of whether the player deliberately intended to put the ball into play.

Rosetti made the clarification on Thursday while presenting refereeing updates for the new season in Monaco. His remarks follow a disputed incident involving Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in last season’s Champions League.

In that match, Atletico Madrid defender Marc Pubill touched the ball with his hand and placed it on the ground before playing it with his foot. The incident occurred after goalkeeper Juan Musso had already taken the goal-kick.

Under UEFA’s clarified interpretation, the handball would now lead to a penalty, even if the player had not intended to restart play in that way.

Rosetti also outlined UEFA’s latest instructions on the use of the video assistant referee, stressing that referees on the pitch must remain responsible for making decisions. He said VAR should not become a mechanism for reviewing every incident or effectively re-refereeing matches.

“We want them to be decisive. VAR is a big project, but we want the referees on the pitch to make the decisions. We do not want VAR to re-referee matches, and we do not want referees waiting for VAR to intervene. We want clear evidence and clear errors that require VAR intervention. We do not like microscopic situations,” Rosetti said, according to Spanish radio station COPE.

The UEFA refereeing director presented a series of law updates that had previously been explained to players, coaches and clubs. The aim is to establish more consistent refereeing standards across UEFA competitions, both during matches and in the wider management of games.

One of the changes concerns time-wasting during substitutions. A player can be cautioned if it takes more than 10 seconds to leave the field.

UEFA has also issued further guidance on how referees should deal with injuries and how play should restart after a goal has been scored.

Rosetti confirmed that UEFA will not introduce the rule used at the World Cup under which a player can be shown a red card for covering their mouth while speaking to an opponent. The measure had been referred to as the “Vinicius law”.

However, a yellow card remains possible if the referee considers the action to be unsporting behaviour, and further disciplinary action could follow.

“We have seen players asking for a red card simply because an opponent is covering his mouth, and we do not like that,” Rosetti said.

He also stated that VAR will intervene if a referee identifies the wrong player when showing a second yellow card. Rosetti added that he expected such interventions to be uncommon.

“I am sure we will see few interventions because of mistaken identity in our competitions,” he said.

Another point highlighted by Rosetti was UEFA’s instruction that only the captain of each team should speak to the referee in certain discussions.

“We do not like players surrounding the referee, and anyone who approaches the referee will receive a yellow card,” he said.