A defender’s hand/arm prevents the ball from going into the goal. The defender did not deliberately handle the ball, but their hand/arm made the defender’s body unnaturally bigger. What is the correct decision if the hand/arm makes contact with the ball inside the defender’s penalty area?

Question

Accepted Answer

The referee awards a penalty kick for a handball offence (unnatural position of the hand/arm). The defender is cautioned (yellow card) for denying the opposing team a goal but is not sent off (no red card) because the handball offence was not deliberate.