Millwall's handball goal correct, but it'll be one of the last

Michael Oliver’s decision to allow Millwall’s second goal in their FA Cup victory over Everton immediately provoked howls of derision across the board. The crossed free kick pinged around the penalty area before bouncing off the arm of Millwall’s No.5 Williams into the goal to equalise.

Despite Millwall protestations, the goal was good. Oliver was correct to let it stand – for now. Oliver ruled correctly that the handball was accidental. It simply bounced onto Williams' arm and into the goal. He really didn't know anything about it. So, no offence.

By the time next season starts later this year, the handball law will most probably have changed to disallow such goals.

This was the statement from IFAB, FIFA’s law-making body, last November.

“The ABM duly took note of football stakeholders’ expectations, so the most significant clarifications relate to ‘non-deliberate’ handball situations, where there is an unfair ‘outcome/benefit’ due to the ball making contact with a player’s hand/arm (e.g. a goal should not be allowed if the ball goes directly into the goal from a player’s hand/arm or if a player gains control/possession of the ball from contact with hand/arm and then scores or creates a goal-scoring opportunity).”

So this will reverse the decades old law that for a handball to be an offence it has to be deliberate. Until now a goal could be scored because of accidental handball. The law change should end that anomaly.