The ball appeared to have struck Kovacic’s underarm in the replays, prompting a review of football regulations.
According to IFAB Law 12, a handball occurs when a player touches the ball with their hand or arm, making their body unnaturally larger.
The rule states that if a playerβs hand or arm position is not justified by their body movement, it is considered an unnatural enlargement of the body.
Even though Kovacic’s arm was not in an ideal position, Gusto’s proximity to the goal played a role in the decision.
The referee has the discretion to apply the “proximity law,” which assesses whether the player had sufficient time to move their arm naturally before the ball made contact.
The Premier League clarified that when deciding on handball incidents, referees will consider how close the player was to the ball at the time of impact.
Shortly after this incident, Kovacic added to Chelsea’s woes by scoring Manchester City’s second goal, helping them to a strong start in their title defense.
