Former referee Chris Foy warned on Friday that football must guard against players deliberately striking a ball to hit a defender’s arm, after a rigid, FIFA-enforced handball law has brought a string of harsh penalty decisions in the first two weeks of the season.
Premier League officials accept that handball could be a source of huge controversy for weeks as the transfer of VAR enforcement from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to FIFA has forced referees to show minimal tolerance to any defenders with an arm held out when the ball strikes them.