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      Premier League handball rule set to change AGAIN next season to stop penalties like Eric Dier’s against Newcastle

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      FOOTBALL chiefs are ready to agree ANOTHER change in the handball Law.
      But it will not come into effect until next season.

      Ifab are set to change the handball rule again which would see this Eric Dier incident no longer an automatic penaltyCredit: Kevin Quigley-The Daily Mail

      The alteration, set to be approved by the International FA Board, will mean the penalty controversially conceded by Spurs’ Eric Dier against Newcastle at the start of the season will no longer be an automatic spot kick.
      Under current Laws, if the ball strikes the arm or hand above the shoulder, referees have no option but to punish the offence.
      But the change, set to be endorsed next month and confirmed in March – and to take effect from June 1 – will hand back discretion when the defender’s action is judged to be “part of the natural movement”.
      In the case of Dier, his back was towards Andy Carroll when the header struck him.

      But the referee could now rule that he was using his arms to gain elevation and not in an attempt to block the ball.
      Referees are also set to be told they should not punish a player who handles when he is protecting his face against the ball.
      Ifab will also officially endorse the handball interpretation giving referees more leeway when the ball is struck at their arms from close distance.
      This was a dispensation given to Premier League chiefs in September.

      There were further pleas from Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin for a relaxation of the rigid rulebook.
      However, no other changes will be presented to next month’s Annual Business Meeting of the Law-making body.

      Current Laws mean the ball striking the arm or hand above the shoulder is punishedCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

      Victor Lindelof was caught out by the harsh ruling when he conceded a spot kick against Crystal PalaceCredit: Eddie Keogh Telegraph Media Group

      Jamie Ohara says that says referees must be responsible for the handball farce in the Premier League More

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      More than 300 players join Zlatan Ibrahimovic in fight against FIFA 21 and EA Sports over name and image rights

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      MINO RAIOLA revealed at least 300 players have joined Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the fight against EA Sports’ use of player name and image rights in FIFA 21.
      The super agent insists he will not give up the battle with EA Sports, world football governing body Fifa and the players’ union Fifpro.

      Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mino Raiola are working out how to take on Fifa, Fifpro and EA Sports over image rights used in FIFA 21Credit: Instagram @iamzlatanibrahimovic

      Ibrahimovic took to social media on Monday calling for an investigation into FIFA 21, alleging EA Sports used the AC Milan striker’s name and face without permission in their video game.
      Spurs star Gareth Bale followed up Zlatan’s tweet with his support to find out who allowed the developers to use his rights.
      And Raiola claimed this is ‘the beginning of something new’ with hundreds of players also demanding answers from the sport.
      He told The Telegraph: “It won’t just be Zlatan or Gareth Bale. We have around 300 requests from players.

      “We will go until the end, if necessary, against Fifa and Fifpro and everybody who sells rights they don’t have.
      “This is one of the biggest disgraces involving Fifa who want to weaken the players to become slaves.
      “But I will not allow that. Zlatan is not a marionette, Zlatan is not someone you can tell to do something he doesn’t want to do.
      “The nice thing about this is that it is being brought by players. He is committed to the cause.

      Gamers can use the AC Milan striker in the latest edition of the game

      The powerful agent has already received 300 requests from players trying to get to the bottom of the issueCredit: Getty – Contributor
      “The question is very simple: Fifa and Fifpro are profiting from the rights that EA Sports happily buy from them but they buy rights that they don’t have.
      “The individual image rights of the player are not with Fifa, Fifpro or AC Milan. They belong to the player himself.
      “If EA Sports wants to continue the business like they do we will bring them to court but not only that we will bring to court everyone who is selling the rights that they don’t have. So if that is Fifpro, that’s Fifpro. If that is Fifa, that’s Fifa.”
      Ibrahimovic opened the debate with his tweet which explained he is not a member of the union Fifpro and therefore questioned who had given EA Sports permission to his likeness.
      He said: “Who gave FIFA EA Sport permission to use my name and face? @FIFPro?
      “I’m not aware to be a member of Fifpro and if I am I was put there without any real knowledge through some weird manoeuvre.
      “And for sure I never allowed @FIFAcom or Fifpro to make money using me.
      “Somebody is making profit on my name and face without any agreement all these years. Time to investigate.”

      Somebody is making profit on my name and face without any agreement all these years.Time to investigate
      — Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) November 23, 2020

      Gareth Bale weighed in on the debate, adding: “Interesting… what is @FIFPro? #TimeToInvestigate.”
      EA Sports told SunSport they are allowed to use the pair’s details due to deals they have in place with AC Milan and the Premier League.
      A statement read: “We are aware of discussions around licensing of players in EA Sports FIFA. The current situation being played out on social media is an attempt to draw FIFA 21 into a dispute between a number of 3rd parties and has little to do with EA Sports.
      “To be very clear, we have contractual rights to include the likeness of all players currently in our game. As already stated, we acquire these licenses directly from leagues, teams, and individual players.
      “In addition, we work with Fifpro to ensure we can include as many players as we can to create the most authentic game.
      “In these instances, our rights to player likenesses are granted through our club agreement with AC Milan and our long-standing exclusive partnership with the Premier League, which includes all players for Tottenham Hotspur.”

      Zlatan Ibrahimovic calls for investigation into FIFA 21 as EA Sports ‘use his name and face without permission’ More

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      Villas-Boas wants every No10 shirt in world retired in Maradona tribute – but which current icons would lose the jersey?

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      ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS called on Fifa to retire the No10 shirt for every team in the world as a tribute to Diego Maradona.
      The Argentine legend wore the iconic number at Barcelona, Napoli, Boca Juniors and for his country.

      Andre Villas-Boas wants Fifa to retire the No10 shirt across all of football following Diego Maradona’s deathCredit: Sports Illustrated – Getty

      And after his tragic death aged 60 following a heart attack on Wednesday, the Marseille manager wants to see his legacy remembered with the jersey no longer used in world football.
      Villas-Boas said of Maradona’s passing: “Yes it is tough news.
      “I would like Fifa to retire the No10 shirt in all competitions, for all teams.
      “It would be the best homage we could do for him.

      “He is an incredible loss for the world of football.”
      Maradona was wearing the No10 as he led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986.
      That includes the famous quarter-final against England where he scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal and the incredible solo effort in the Azteca Stadium, Mexico.
      Since then, the likes of Ronaldinho, Francesco Totti and – most famously of all – Maradona’s compatriot Lionel Messi have become synonymous with wearing the No10.

      Current No10s who would lose their number

      Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid)
      Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
      Harry Kane (Tottenham)
      Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
      Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
      Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
      Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
      Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)
      Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
      Neymar (PSG)
      Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
      Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
      Sergio Aguero (Man City)
      Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund)

      And Villas-Boas’ appeal would see Messi, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Marcus Rashford and Luka Modric have to change numbers.
      Napoli have already retired the No10 in honour of Maradona, who helped the club to their two Serie A titles in 1986-87 and 1989-90.
      Argentina tried to do the same in 2001 but the request to not use the number at the 2002 World Cup was blocked by Fifa.
      Others clubs have retired shirt numbers in the past to honour specific legends – such as the No10 at Brescia for Roberto Baggio, Javier Zanetti’s No4 at Inter Milan, the No14 Johan Cruyff wore at Ajax and the West Ham No6 for Bobby Moore.

      Other times it has been following the death of a player who wears that shirt like Fiorentina’s Davide Astori who wore No13 and Beijing Enterprises’ No24 worn by Chieck Tiote.
      Tributes poured in from across the footballing world for one of the sport’s greatest players of all time, who died exactly 15 years after his hero George Best.
      Pele, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham were among those who took to social media to share their memories of the maverick and send their condolences to his family.
      Thousands took to the streets in Buenos Aires, where he died, as well as Naples on Wednesday evening.
      ⚠️ Read our Diego Maradona death live blog for the latest news & updates

      Maradona wore the No10 shirt for the famous World Cup quarter-final against England in 1986Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      The Marseille boss wants to see Fifa take a stance across the whole of footballCredit: AFP or licensors

      Diego Maradona’s legendary career in numbers, as Argentine legend dies aged 60 More

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      ‘Robot’ assistant referees at World Cup a step closer after Fifa ask tech firms to draw up design plans

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      PLANS for ‘robot’ assistant referees to be introduced for the 2022 World Cup have taken a step forward after Fifa asked tech companies to prove they can design a system that works.
      Fifa chiefs have been working on the proposal for a year.

      Fifa are hoping to have ‘robot’ assistant referees ready for the 2022 World CupCredit: EPA

      The governing body even put behind the scenes trials in place for last year’s Club World Cup – also held in Qatar and won by Liverpool.
      Now Fifa’s Working Group for Innovation Excellence – which includes Premier League refs’ PGMOL – wants the new trials to start early next year.
      Among the systems is the Tracab programme developed by Sweden’s Chyron-Hego.
      The tech uses artificial intelligence-driven ball-tracking combined with limb tracking and ‘skeletal modelling’.

      The company promised: “Tracab can determine the exact moment of a critical ball pass and the precise location of involved players and their limbs relative to the goal line.”
      Premier League tech partners Hawk-Eye are also understood to be developing their own versions of the software.
      However, Fifa are still seeking improvements in the graphical ‘visualisation of close offside incidents’.
      Fifa’s head of technology Johannes Holzmuller has described the trials to date as ‘very promising’.

      Offside calls have been in the headlines lately, particularly this call against Patrick Bamford in the most-recent round of PL games

      There is now growing confidence in Zurich that Qatar 2022 will see the system used for the first time at a major event.
      Offside calls have been coming under increasing scrutiny in recent years, with VAR seemingly creating as many issues in the Premier League as it solves.
      Fans have been left bitterly disappointed by the video technology after players have been caught offside by their armpit, despite the rest of their body being well onside.
      Most-recently, Patrick Bamford’s disallowed effort for Leeds against Crystal Palace hit the headlines after he appeared to be miles onside, only for VAR to chalk off his strike.

      Inside luxury cruise liner MSC Poesia that England fans can stay on at Qatar World Cup 2022 More

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      Disgraced Greg Clarke quits £190k-a-year Fifa vice-president job after resigning as FA chairman

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      DISGRACED former FA chairman Greg Clarke has resigned from his £190,000-a-year job with Fifa.
      Clarke, forced to quit his Wembley role after a car-crash appearance before MPs on Monday, had wanted to keep his role on the Fifa Council until March.

      Greg Clarke stepped down from his role as Fifa vice-president after being forced to resign as FA chairmanCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The ex-Wembley chief claimed he had been asked to stay on by Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin to ensure that European football did not lose a vote on any contentious issues arising over the coming months.
      But Uefa’s own rulebook says that the European governing body has the right to elect a replacement for any vice-president or council member who leaves their position.
      And in a statement, Uefa confirmed: “Following a telephone call this morning between the Uefa President and Greg Clarke, they agreed with Greg Clarke’s proposal that he should step down with immediate effect from his position as a Uefa representative on Fifa Council.”
      The U-turn came just hours after Clarke told Sky Sports News: “I am staying purely at the request of Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin.”

      It was claimed that Ceferin, still locked in a bitter power battle with Fifa president Gianni Infantino and who has formed a strategic alliance with South American chiefs on a number of proposals, was concerned at losing one of his bloc’s eight votes on the 37-member Council.
      There was a suggestion that Ceferin’s willingness to keep Clarke on for four months was a repayment for the FA chairman’s vote in favour of Colombia’s bid to stage the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
      That came despite Fifa’s official bid team strongly coming down on the side of the winning bid from Australia and New Zealand, with Clarke taking flak from both nations for seemingly ignoring the strong links between the Antipodean countries and the UK.
      But it then emerged that Uefa’s own rulebook DID allow them to replace Clarke – and, in fact, demanded they do so if he stood down.

      Article 5 of Uefa Statutes reads: “If a Vice-President  or a person elected to the Fifa Council vacates his position during his term of office, the Uefa Executive Committee shall elect a replacement for the remaining period until the next Congress.”
      Clarke’s departure now puts the onus on Ceferin to name his replacement ahead of the next Fifa Council meeting due in a few weeks.
      The likeliest short-term option would be to ask Uefa Treasurer and former Manchester United chief executive David Gill – who stepped down from the former ruling Fifa executive committee in 2015 in a protest at the rule of Sepp Blatter – to fill the void.
      There are only a handful of Fifa meetings due between now and March, although Gill has already signalled he intends to stand down from his current Uefa post at the Congress.
      That will give time for the FA to find a candidate for the remaining two years of Clarke’s mandate.
      All 55 Uefa member nations are allowed to vote on the British seat, which saw Clarke see off a challenge by Northern Ireland’s David Martin in 2019.
      But Ceferin has previously indicated he believes England should represent the UK rather than the seat being filled by someone from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
      That will be even more critical with England being the leader of the planned British Isles 2030 World Cup bid, with the vote currently due to be held in 2023.

      What he said wasn’t acceptable and there was no alternative but for him to go
      Gareth Southgate on Greg Clarke

      Clarke resigned as FA chairman on Tuesday following the grilling in front of Parliament.
      The 63-year-old was forced into two public apologies after making reference to ‘coloured footballers’ and then suggesting that being gay was a lifestyle choice.
      Upon quitting, he said: “My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on. 
      “I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.”
      England boss Gareth Southgate said there was ‘no alternative’ but for Clarke to step away.
      Speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Ireland, he said: “We can’t just keep standing in front of the cameras talking about change. We are seeing a lot of change in society and football needs to be at the front of that.
      “What’s a shame for him [Clarke] is he has done a lot of work behind the scenes to support the diversity code and make inroads into relationships around Europe.
      “But what he said wasn’t acceptable and there was no alternative but for him to go.”

      Clarke resigned following a shambolic appearance in front of MPs on TuesdayCredit: PA:Press Association More

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      England players ‘deserve the right leadership’, raps Gareth Southgate as disgraced Greg Clarke quits

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      GARETH SOUTHGATE has lashed out at disgraced former FA chairman Greg Clarke and insisted his England players ‘deserve the right leadership’.
      Clarke quit on Tuesday after making a string of shocking and outdated comments about racial diversity to a committee of MPs.

      Gareth Southgate has lashed out at disgraced former FA chairman Greg ClarkeCredit: Rex Features

      The England boss insists his Three Lions ‘deserve the right leadership’Credit: Rex Features

      And England boss Southgate revealed he had felt the need to speak to his England players – many of whom have spoken out about racism – to assure them Clarke’s attitudes did nor reflect his opinions or those of the FA.
      Southgate said: “I felt I couldn’t ignore what had happened and not explain to the players that (Clarke’s comments) weren’t what people within the FA thought was acceptable.
      “I talked about there being 800 people in the FA – which is such a broader organisation and younger and more diverse than people realise.
      “The biggest danger was the good work those people do was distracted from and it’s not what we do as a team.

      “So I felt it was important to speak from the heart about that and that the players understand where I am on it.
      “They had spoken so eloquently on numerous occasions on the issues we’ve faced as a team and the issues we’ve faced as society and they deserve the right leadership and support around that.”
      Meanwhile, FIFA have refused to sack Greg Clarke from his £190,000-a-year role as vice-chairman.
      The 63-year-old resigned from his position as chairman of the FA on Tuesday following a reel of offensive comments around race, sexuality and gender.

      Clarke’s term of office runs until 2023 and while Fifa released a damning statement, they said the ball is in his court whether he wants to resign from his post.
      The statement read: “FIFA’s zero tolerance position on discrimination remains steadfast and clear: any form of discrimination, including racism, sexism and homophobia, has no place in football.
      “In the circumstances and given the nature of his comments, FIFA considers that Mr. Clarke did the right thing to resign as chairman of the FA yesterday.
      “He is, of course, free to resign from the FIFA Council, just as he has resigned as chairman of the FA. It is for Mr. Clarke to take that decision.”

      FA Chairman Greg Clarke apologises for ‘coloured’ comment More

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      Uefa beg Fifa to change ‘unfair’ handball laws with VAR controversy in Chelsea’s win over Rennes the final straw

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      UEFA have pleaded with Fifa to change the “unfair” handball laws – after another night of VAR controversy.
      Chelsea’s second penalty in their 3-0 Champions League win over Rennes left the French side shocked by both the VAR spot-kick award and the second yellow card for defender Dalbert Henrique.

      UEFA have intervened after widespread dismay over a handball incident between Chelsea and Rennes last night Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

      BT pundit Rio Ferdinand slammed German referee Felix Swayer for an “absolute disgrace” of a decision, with Timo Werner slotting home his second penalty of the night.
      And now Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin has stepped into the ongoing rows over the handball Laws by urging Fifa boss Gianni Infantino to intervene.
      In a letter to Zurich, Ceferin said: “The attempt to strictly define the cases where handling the ball is an offense has resulted in many unfair decisions which have been met with growing frustration and discomfort by the football community.”
      Despite being the wealthiest and most powerful of Fifa’s Confederations, Uefa has NO place on the Law-making International FA Board, made up of the four Home Nations and four representatives of the world governing body.

      The latest Laws, agreed by Ifab in Belfast in March, came into effect on June 1.
      Infantino had championed the introduction of the “tee-shirt line” which means the shoulder is no longer considered part of the arm.
      But Ifab, backed by Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina, guides that handling offences when the body is made ‘unnaturally bigger’, must be punished.
      Although the Premier League was given dispensation to apply a less strict criteria after a controversial start to the season, Uefa is sticking more firmly to the official guidelines.

      Aleksander Ceferin wrote to FIFA over the handball rules Credit: Reuters
      In addition, the 2019 Law which sees any goal chalked off if the ball is handled by the scorer or player who passes directly to a scoring team-mate, has caused frustration.
      Ceferin added: ”The spirit of the game must be preserved at all times.
      “The arms are part of bodies dynamically engaged in athletic efforts and their movement is necessary to preserve the body balance, make the effort successful and avoid injuries.
      “Defenders are nowadays forced to assume ‘unnatural’ positions simply to avoid the risk of seeing their hand or arm accidentally hit by the ball and concede a penalty kick.
      “There are also plenty of situations where hands/arms exposed outside the profile of the body in moves which are understood to be natural, unintentional and unavoidable have been punished with penalty kicks. This is no good service to the game.”
      The Uefa President suggested in his letter that the widespread use of VAR had been more of a curse than a blessing in terms of decisions.
      Ceferin said VAR had ‘exacerbated’ problems, leading to ‘paranoid effects and controversial outcomes’.
      He added: ‘lf the original spirit of this amendment was to avoid that a goal is scored with a hand or arm, this goes far beyond the rationale.’

      Gianni Infantino may have some thinking to do as the handball rule continues to attract controversyCredit: Reuters
      “It leads to goals being disallowed following situations where the ball may have minimally hit the hand or arm of a player, without any intention, even when the deflection did not have any significant impact on scoring the goal.
      “There is no shame in admitting that sometimes decisions that are made for the good do not achieve their objectives and should be reviewed.

      “Doing so would certainly not undermine the credibility of IFAB.
      “I believe that going back to the previous wording, perhaps reviewed and integrated by a provision which does not allow goals to be scored with a hand/arm, is an option to be taken into account.”
      Ceferin’s letter comes ahead of the looming ‘business meeting’ of Ifab, which will determine any Law change proposals to be decided by the organisation’s AGM, due to be held in Cardiff next March. More

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      European Super League blow as Fifa boss Gianni Infantino refuses to back £4.6bn plans amid Man Utd and Liverpool talks

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      FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has refused to back the proposed European Super League – dealing the plans a significant blow.
      World chief Infantino was said to have been behind the plans, drafted by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez and backed by Liverpool and Manchester United.

      Fifa president Gianni Infantino has refused to back the European Super League proposalCredit: PA:Press Association

      Fifa were reported as the backers of a £4.6billion concept for an 18-club closed-shop elite, including five Prem giants, from the start of the 2022-23 season.
      But Infantino gave the thumbs down to the plans as he insisted his sole aim is to get the revised and expanded Club World Cup up and running in China in 2022.
      Infantino said: “As Fifa President, I’m interested in the Club World Cup, not the Super League. 
      “I’m not interested in Bayern versus Liverpool, but Bayern versus Boca Juniors from Buenos Aires. 

      “Liverpool has 180 million fans worldwide. Flamengo about 40 million. Flamengo has 39 of these 40 million fans in Brazil. 
      “But Liverpool, however, has perhaps only 5 million fans in England, the other 175 million around the world. 
      “I want clubs from outside Europe to have global appeal in the future. My vision is: there should be 50 clubs and 50 national teams that can become world champions.”
      The proposed “European Premier League” would have stripped Uefa of its biggest Champions League assets, dealing European football a devastating financial blow.

      But the Fifa President insisted: “The Club World Cup does not compete with the Champions League. 
      “It’s a different product. 
      “Fifa’s mission is to promote and develop football around the world and not just in Europe.
      “The differences between Europe and the rest of the world have grown and will continue to grow if we do nothing. 
      “That is why we want to help clubs outside Europe to get back on track.
      “And after coronavirus, these projects are more appropriate than ever.
      “We now see with this virus that we have to work together worldwide. That is exactly what Fifa does.”

      Shaun Custis wants VAR to be scrapped, after yet more controversy in the Premier League More