The Premier League has been plagued by controversy and inconsistency in its use of the video assistant referee (VAR) system, with Chelsea's 3-1 win at Crystal Palace being a case in point. The question on everyone's mind is whether the penalty awarded to Chelsea after Jaydee Canvot blocked Joao Pedro's goal-bound shot was indeed an error.
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), a player prevents the ball from going into their own goal with their hand/arm but does not deliberately handle the ball and does not make their body unnaturally bigger, it is not considered a handball. This exemption applies even if the arm is not grounded and lands on top of the ball.
In Maguire's case, he was already falling with his arm out before Mikel Merino released the shot that struck the England centre-half's hand. Therefore, it is unlikely that he deliberately put his arm in the path of the shot, and a VAR decision to award a penalty would have been incorrect.
Twice players have wrongly escaped giving away a VAR penalty in these circumstances: Tomas Soucek for West Ham against Chelsea in February 2023, and Martin Odegaard for Arsenal at Liverpool in December 2023. Both players made a deliberate movement to stop or knock the ball, but Maguire's action was not intentional.
The inconsistent application of VAR rules is a pressing concern for Premier League officials, with many fans and pundits calling for greater clarity and consistency in its use. The Premier League has taken steps to address these concerns, including providing more guidance on VAR decisions and increasing the number of VAR teams in stadiums.
However, until more consistent and accurate decision-making can be achieved, supporters will continue to question the VAR system's reliability and fairness.
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), a player prevents the ball from going into their own goal with their hand/arm but does not deliberately handle the ball and does not make their body unnaturally bigger, it is not considered a handball. This exemption applies even if the arm is not grounded and lands on top of the ball.
In Maguire's case, he was already falling with his arm out before Mikel Merino released the shot that struck the England centre-half's hand. Therefore, it is unlikely that he deliberately put his arm in the path of the shot, and a VAR decision to award a penalty would have been incorrect.
Twice players have wrongly escaped giving away a VAR penalty in these circumstances: Tomas Soucek for West Ham against Chelsea in February 2023, and Martin Odegaard for Arsenal at Liverpool in December 2023. Both players made a deliberate movement to stop or knock the ball, but Maguire's action was not intentional.
The inconsistent application of VAR rules is a pressing concern for Premier League officials, with many fans and pundits calling for greater clarity and consistency in its use. The Premier League has taken steps to address these concerns, including providing more guidance on VAR decisions and increasing the number of VAR teams in stadiums.
However, until more consistent and accurate decision-making can be achieved, supporters will continue to question the VAR system's reliability and fairness.
! I mean, come on, how many times do we have to watch these decisions go wrong? It's like they're making it up as they go along 
. First of all, Maguire wasn't even trying to block the ball with his arm, he was just falling and his arm happened to be in the way... what more evidence do you need?! And don't even get me started on those other two cases where players got away with deliberate handballs 
. It's like they're not even following the rules half the time.
. It's ruining the game, mate...
! u got this guy falling with his arm out already and then he gets flagged for a handball? that's just not right 
. and to think those other two cases where players escaped penalties for similar actions? it's like var is just making stuff up sometimes 
Meanwhile, others are just a bit clumsy and make mistakes that lead to penalties 
.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that VAR is just a way for teams to get an unfair advantage. Can't trust it at all... 
and how many times have players gotten away with it? soucek and odegaard already got off scot free... and the premier league is all like oh we're gonna make some changes, but until they actually fix it, im not buying it 
like, we all wanna see clear calls, but if the refs can't even agree on what constitutes a handball, how can we trust them? it's like, i get that var is there to help, but when it starts making decisions that are way off base, it's like, back to square one 
. and you're right, there have been other instances where players made some pretty intentional movements, yet no penalty was awarded... what's the line? 
The Premier League needs to provide clearer guidelines for VAR officials to avoid similar mix-ups in the future... 
i mean, I've seen more consistency in my life than this... or at least, i've seen some of my friends' dating lives be more predictable 
. seriously though, if maguire's arm wasn't even grounded, how can you say he did something wrong? just seems like a bunch of inconsistency to me 
. The fans need clarity, not more grey areas 
. Maybe it's time for a bit more transparency from the VAR officials? 
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need some clear rules and enforcement here...
. Maguire didn't deliberately try to block the shot, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And let's be real, VAR isn't perfect 
.
But VAR is supposed to be about accuracy and fairness, so it's frustrating when they get it wrong.
. Can't we just have clear-cut decisions without all the back-and-forth? 
. maybe one day we'll see more accurate calls but till then... 
. But until we can get a better handle on what's considered a handball or not, I guess fans are gonna keep on questioning these calls 
instead of following rules 
and now we got fans questioning its integrity