Handball Rule in Soccer: Can You Play the Ball with Your Hands?

The handball rule in soccer states that you cannot play the ball with your hands or arms as an outfield player.

So, no, the infamous Diego Maradona goal against England wasn’t legal.

The only exception to this rule is the goalkeeper. But even the goalkeeper is allowed to use their hands only within the penalty area.

But there’s more to it than that.

I’ll break it down more, so by the end of this article you’re an expert on what is and what is not a handball in soccer.

The Handball Rule

According to IFAB, It is a handball offense if a player:

deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball.

touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger.

scores in the opponents’ goal:

directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental

immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental

But what does “hand” in soccer mean? It is a very vague term when you’re basing a rule around it.

The term “hand” in soccer includes any part of the arm below the shoulder. So, the hand, wrist, arm, and elbow all constitute a hand ball.

the handball rule in soccer — Image credit: IFAB

One problem arises from being penalized if the ball touches your hand. What if the opponent just kicks the ball at your hand and gets a free kick?

To tackle that, the word ‘deliberately’ is used. So if you use your hands deliberately then a freekick is awarded.

Whether or not it was deliberate is up to the referee to decide. Which means at the end of the day, it’s subjective (which is a big point of contention among the soccer fans).

Another important thing to note is that a handball is only given if the player has tried to spread out his arms to stop the ball.

That means that if the arms were close by the player’s body, then it’s not considered a handball.

The final point is a recent update to the rule. The soccer lawmakers deemed it unfair advantage if a goal is scored even through an accidental handball.

So the ball might accidentally hit an attacker’s hand. If this leads to a goal, then the goal is disallowed, and a freekick is awarded.

Which Body Parts Can You Use to Play Soccer?

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While it may sound unintuitive, soccer is not only played with the feet. Players can use various body parts to control, pass, or shoot the ball.

Feet: The most obvious part of the body to play football with.
Thighs: Players can use thighs to control or trap the ball.

Chest: Players often use chest to cushion the ball when the ball is in the air. This helps bring the ball down to their feet.
Head: The head is the second most often used body part in soccer. Players use their head to pass or even shoot (called a header) when the ball is up in the air.
Shoulders: While not commonly used, some skillful players use shoulders to control or pass the ball. It is a very risky move though, since there’s a fine line between a shoulder and hand ball.

What’s the Penalty for a Handball?

If a player touches the ball with their hand or arms, the referee will call a foul and give a free kick to the other team.

If the handball offense was inside your penalty area (the one where you’re defending the goal), then the referee will award a penalty kick to the opposing team.

Sometimes, if the offense is bad enough then the referee might even give a yellow or red card to the offender. The “bad enough” offense might be stopping a ball going into the net with your hands (if you’re not the goalkeeper). Or maybe you stopped a counter-attack from the opposing team by stopping the ball with your hands.

Conclusion

Here are the main points you need to remember for the handball rule in soccer:

Only goalkeepers can use their hands to control the ball (inside their own penalty area).
Players can use their feet, thighs, head, chest, and shoulders to play the ball.