In the recent match between Atalanta and Inter, an incident occurred where Atalanta appeared to have scored a goal, only for it to be disallowed due to a perceived handball, a decision that hinged on the interpretation of the guidelines established by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
The sequence of events leading to the disallowed goal unfolded when Mario Pasalic intercepted a misplaced pass from Benjamin Pavard, subsequently followed by Aleksei Miranchuk pressuring Alessandro Bastoni’s clearance, leading to Charles De Ketelaere seizing the opportunity to score from the rebound.
The goal’s disallowance came about following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) On-Field Review, which determined that Miranchuk had made contact with the ball using his arm. However, the decision was not unequivocal, despite Miranchuk’s arm being raised and positioned away from his body.
IFAB guidelines delineate a specific demarcation point distinguishing the valid area of the shoulder and arm for ball control purposes. Examination of visual evidence indicates that the ball made contact with Miranchuk’s arm approximately along this demarcation line, a circumstance advantageous to Inter given the clarity of the footage available to the referee for decision-making.
In instances involving subjective calls such as handball, it ultimately falls to the discretion of the referee to render a decision, with VAR serving only to recommend an On-Field Review rather than making the final determination autonomously.