“Why Conor Gallagher’s shot blocked by Tomas Soucek not deemed a penalty for Chelsea against West Ham?”
“Controversy erupted at the London Stadium during the latter stages of Chelsea’s match against West Ham when Conor Gallagher’s shot was blocked by Tomas Soucek’s arm.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The incident sparked debate as to why Referee Robert Jones did not award a penalty to Chelsea. Gallagher had taken a shot from just outside the box, but it was stopped by Soucek’s arm as he fell while attempting to block the shot. The Chelsea players surrounded the referee in protest, but after consultation with the video assistant referees, the decision was upheld and Chelsea were not awarded a penalty. According to Peter Walton, a ‘referee expert,’ speaking to BT Sport, the on-field referees and VAR team made the wrong decision as Soucek’s arm can clearly be seen moving down.”
“The question remains, was Soucek’s arm positioned to keep him from falling or to block the ball? Peter Walton believes that it should have been a penalty kick. However, according to IFAB (The International Football Association Board), if a player is falling and the ball strikes their hand/arm while it’s in between their body and the ground and not extended to increase the body size, no penalty will be given. Furthermore, IFAB rules state that a penalty won’t be awarded if the ball makes contact with a player’s hand/arm as a result of their own head/body/foot or another player’s head/body/foot.”
“David Elleray, the IFAB technical director, stated in 2019 that ‘deliberate handball is still a violation.’ He went on to explain that the organization has made improvements to the laws by emphasizing the outcome rather than the intention. In particular, IFAB is focused on attacking situations where a player gains an unfair advantage by controlling the ball after it has made contact with their hand or arm.”
