Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for English football, has labeled the current regulations surrounding accidental handball as “a bit of a nonsense.” He is now pushing for significant reform to prevent officials from being forced into what he describes as “ridiculous situations.” Webb’s comments follow a high-profile controversy during Sunday’s Manchester derby, where an officiating oversight allowed Manchester City to secure a victory over Manchester United.
Addressing the incident on the program Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb expressed his deep disappointment regarding the failure of the video assistant referee (VAR) team to identify Enzo Fernández interfering with play from an offside position. This error preceded the only goal of the match, scored by Erling Haaland. VAR official Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus were subsequently removed from their duties for the coming period after professional refereeing body Pro Ref confirmed an “error of judgment” was made while assessing the goal.
The breakdown in communication occurred after Donohue was tasked with reviewing the initial offside decision against Haaland. While semi-automated technology confirmed the striker was onside, Donohue failed to consider that Fernández’s offside presence had impacted the play, an infringement that should have triggered an on-field monitor review. Webb suggested that Donohue developed “tunnel vision” by fixating solely on Haaland, noting that the rest of the officiating team failed to intervene and broaden his scope of analysis. Webb confirmed that the officials involved are currently “hurting” and will not return to match duties until after the international break.
Webb highlighted the broader confusion caused by the current handball laws by referencing an Ipswich own goal at Manchester United. In that instance, the ball struck Harry Maguire’s hand before deflecting off Jacob Greaves and into the net. Under the existing framework, if Maguire had scored cleanly, the goal would have been disallowed due to the handball. However, because his shot deflected and resulted in an own goal, the strike was permitted. Webb argued that this creates an illogical landscape where officials must speculate on whether a shot was on target to determine the legality of a goal.
The current handball rule mandates an offense if a player scores directly from their hand or immediately following an accidental touch. Yet, the situation changes if a teammate provides an additional touch, leading to inconsistent application of the rules. Webb proposed a return to judging handball based on standard criteria—specifically whether the player deliberately handled the ball or unnaturally increased their body size. He believes Maguire’s actions in that specific Ipswich match did not meet the threshold for a punishable offense and should not have complicated the goal’s validity.
As Webb continues his push for greater transparency within the officiating ranks, his public admission regarding the Manchester derby highlights the ongoing struggle to balance technical rule enforcement with fair sporting outcomes. The chief referee emphasized the importance of acknowledging these mistakes, noting that the officials take immense personal pride in their work and are fully aware of the consequences of such failures in high-stakes fixtures. The report also notes that speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb reviewed a number of controversial incidents from the Premier League season. The report also notes that webb said he believed this was the wrong approach. The report also notes that but then later on the goal is attributed to the player that scored, whose arm it hit, the worst-case scenario for us is that the officials decide that the ball is going wide and it’s an own goal. The report also notes that so, I think we ought to look at this and just allow the officials to determine whether it’s a normal handball offence. The report also notes that and I don’t think [Maguire] does those things in this situation.”. The report also notes that webb, who has promised greater transparency from Pro Ref, is increasingly expected to give a public verdict on controversial decisions and it was not a surprise to find Match Officials Mic’d Up scheduled for TV 48 hours after the farrago in the Manchester derby.
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