The Premier League will have a new rule in place for next season which will affect both Everton and Liverpool.
The 2021/22 campaign starts on August 14 and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) have made a change to a controversial law.
While VAR took the majority of the spotlight when it came to controversial decision making last season, one rule which also got plenty of attention was the handball law.
Both Liverpool and Everton were on the receiving end of decisions involving handball, as have the vast majority of teams in the Premier League.
The IFAB confirmed on Monday that there will be a change to the law which will come into effect on July 1 and will be in force for next season.
“Law 12 emphasises that not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offence,” the IFAB wrote on Twitter.
“A player’s hand/arm position should be judged in relation to their body movement in that particular situation.
“A player has made their body unnaturally bigger when the hand/arm position is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation.
“By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of being penalised.
“OFFENCE - scoring in the opponents’ goal: directly from the scorer’s hand/arm, plus immediately after the ball has touched the scorer’s hand/arm.
“Accidental handball by a team-mate before a goal and accidental handball creating a goal-scoring opportunity are NOT now offences.”
