Saints boss Ralph Hassenhuttl has proposed a new way to punish unintentional handballs after being hurt by harsh calls again at the weekend
Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhuttl has a radical solution for the handball rule, with his side once again dropping points after being punished for harsh infringements.
After initially taking the lead against Wolves on Sunday, Saints were punished in the second half for a handball given against Ryan Bertrand, after a shot was smashed at him from close range.
Ruben Neves dispatched the spot kick, and Wolves went on to win the game, with Saints also not benefitting from another handball call when Leander Dendoncker’s awkward attempted header struck his arm.
The decisions have led to many calling for consistency among calls, stating that both infringements were either penalties or not, rather than one being given and the other ignored.
Hassenhuttl was understandably frustrated with why one decision was given and the other wasn’t, and has suggested the use of indirect free kicks as a way of punishing unintentional handballs inside the area.
The Austrian coach pointed to the fact that most unintentional handballs are not clear goal scoring opportunities, so punishing them with a penalty is too harsh. Indirect free kicks give the defending team a clearer chance of not conceding a goal, so the punishment is more in line with the infringement.
It’s certainly an interesting take, and considering an indirect free kick provides absolute carnage inside the penalty area, we’re all in favour.
