Rummenigge calls for urgent handball rule change following Bayern-PSG tie

Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has called for the handball rule to be simplified to make decisions more clear-cut again.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Controversial handball calls were a major talking point in both legs of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, which ended with the German champions being eliminated 6-5 on aggregate.

In the first leg, PSG were awarded a penalty after Ousmane Dembélé struck the ball onto Alphonso Davies' hand. 

Then, in the return leg, Bayern appealed for a penalty after PSG’s Vitinha hit teammate João Neves on the arm, but their protests were waved away due to an exception that applies to handballs between teammates.

For Bayern supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the tie clearly proved that a rethink of the handball rule is needed to make it simpler again.

“Our tie against PSG once again showed how big and urgent the need for reform of this handball rule is,” Rummenigge said in an interview with Kicker.

“It absolutely needs to be simplified again. I have never experienced such discussions about a handball in a stadium as I did last Wednesday. With handball situations, the international rule-makers have created far too many exceptions.”

“The grey area has become too large, the rules are too vague, and that creates too much room for interpretation. A simplification is absolutely necessary in the interest of football.”

On how he believes the rule should look, Rummenigge explained:

“In my opinion, a handball exists when there is intent, or when a player unnaturally increases the size of his body to his advantage or to the opponent’s disadvantage. It’s that simple.

“In my time, handball decisions were black and white – today it's almost all a grey area.”

The 70-year-old believes the rule should be reformed before the World Cup to ensure controversial decisions do not dominate the tournament.

“This rule needs to be brought back into the black-and-white category. It should be urgently reformed, ideally before the World Cup,” Rummenigge argued.

“Otherwise, there will also be a flood of questionable handball decisions there, which could ultimately help decide who becomes world champion.”