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Aleksander Ceferin, head of UEFA, criticized the current handball regulations on Tuesday, saying that "nobody in the world understands when there is handball or not" on Roger Bennett's "Men in Blazers" podcast.
Ceferin's remarks were mirrored by the UEFA Football Board, which on Tuesday, after having its first meeting in Nyon at the headquarters of European football's governing body, called for further clarification on the handball law and suggested revisions for the upcoming season.
The very best coaches in the world were present, according to Ceferin. "We demonstrated a scenario in which a player's hand is struck by a ball, and we asked them if they wanted a penalty or not. Half of them chose the latter.
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"Those are the world's top teams' coaches. Since we wouldn't need a referee otherwise, I believe the official on the field should make the decision. I don't like the idea of having a machine that just says "handball" or "no handball." It bothers me. We must, and we will begin working on that, in order to inform the referees that they must determine whether or not it is a natural move, and so forth.
The UEFA executive committee authorized the board, which includes managers Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho as well as ex-players Paolo Maldini and Luis Figo, to offer unbiased comments on issues pertaining to football.
After talking about the handball rule, in particular the part that says not all touches of the arm or hand with the ball are illegal, it issued suggestions this week.
"The Board recommends that UEFA clarify that no handball offence should be called on a player if the ball is previously deflected from his own body and, in particular, when the ball does not go towards the goal," the statement read.
"On the same notice, the Board advises against every handball automatically resulting in a caution after every shot at goal, as anticipated by current guidelines."
The Board further recommended that UEFA speak with the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the organization responsible for enacting football laws, to request a change to the rules governing player dismissals for handball violations.
In order to prevent a goal from being scored, a player should only be dismissed if they "deliberately and intentionally" touch the ball with their hand or arm.
It said, "In case of other handball offenses, the players should only receive a warning."
Ceferin reiterated his disapproval of the existing offside regulation as well.
"Two centimeters of offside is not offside for me," he declared. We need to determine whether the line needs to be thicker.
