'Ruining our game' – Martin Keown rages at Arsenal handball as demand for major rule change made
Yesterday at 04:17 PM
Arsenal legend Martin Keown vented his fury after a penalty was awarded against the Gunners in contentious circumstances.
The referee called a handball against Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino in their Champions League clash at Inter Milan despite his arm being close to his body and having little to no time to react.
Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu made no mistake from the resulting spot kick in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, but the incident left a sour taste in the mouth of Keown.
“Is his arm in an unnatural position,” Keown said on TNT Sports.
“I don’t know who determines that… it’s ruining our game, it certainly ruins Arteta’s team talk.”
Fellow TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist was in agreement, and says a major rule change to handball laws is required.
“The law has to change and the word ‘deliberate’ has to come back into it,” McCoist said.
“That is not deliberate.”
It’s unlikely a penalty would’ve been awarded if this happened in a Premier League game as new handball laws were introduced before the start of this season.
In the Premier League, referees consider mitigating factors when deciding whether to penalise a handball.
These include the player’s proximity to the ball, whether the player’s arm is used to support their body while falling and whether the player deflects or plays the ball onto their own arms.
More to follow…
