Football Notes: Int'l FA Board To Redefine Handball Rules

Football’s lawmakers "will bring in a new wording on handball next week" in a move to end confusion over "deliberate" contact of the hand with the ball. There was "renewed controversy" during Man City’s win at Schalke in the Champions League on Wednesday when VAR awarded a penalty against Nicolás Otamendi for handball even though the Man City defender "appeared to be trying to get his arm out of the way." That ruling was in line with UEFA's guidance to referees on handballs (LONDON TIMES, 2/21).

It is "increasingly unclear" when Indonesian top-tier football league Liga 1 will start its new season after a "massive match-fixing scandal led to the arrest and resignation of key organizers." The police arrested several officials of the Indonesian FA in the past three months for their alleged involvement in match-fixing, "recently revealed to be a deep-seated problem" in the league (JAKARTA GLOBE, 2/21).

Man City said that one of its fans is in "a critical condition in hospital" after an alleged assault following the club's Champions League win over Schalke in Germany on Wednesday. Man City said, "The club are working with Greater Manchester Police and German Police to ascertain more information" (BBC, 2/21).