The IFAB rules and why bizarre penalty decision in Rangers loss should not have been awarded

Rangers fell to a deserved defeat in Belgium to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in their Champions League third qualifying round first leg.

The team’s insipid display was compounded with 15 minutes to go when referee Irfan Peljto awarded the hosts a penalty.

Connor Goldson was penalised for a handball after a shot ricocheted off James Sands onto the Englishman’s arm. The Bosnian referee consulted VAR and decided it merited a spot kick with the Rangers defender also receiving a yellow card.

Dante Vanzeir converted from 12 yards to give USG a 2-0 lead to take to Ibrox next week as they look to earn the result which will see them play the winners of Monaco and PSV Eindhoven in the next round.

The penalty, however, is the one aspect of the game Rangers can feel harshly treated. Such was the proximity between Sands and Goldson and the lack of intent from the latter.

The IFAB rules state it is a handball offence if a player “touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.”

However, IFAB also notes exceptions, including if “the player’s arm is already extended when there is no expectation of the ball coming at, or near, the player from a team-mate”, as is the case with the ball hitting Sands and spinning up and hitting Goldson’s arm.

In a Q&A section, IFAB confirms such a scenario.

Connor Goldson was penalised for a handball. Picture: Getty

When asked if “a defender tries to kick the ball out. The ball hits the arm of another defender who is standing close in their penalty areas and does not expect the ball to come from a team-mate. What is the correct decision?”

The answer: “The referee allows play to continue. It is not a handball offence – the defender is not considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger (whether or not the arm was close to the body or already extended).”