As a player who has been personally affected by the current handball rule, I have come to know firsthand its repercussions on the beautiful game of football. Many others players around the world share my concern, believing that the rule is applied unfairly at this moment. We are requesting a significant amendment to this rule.

Currently, any contact between a player's arm and the ball, regardless of intent or natural body movement, is considered a handball foul. This is troubling for a number of reasons, primarily because it eliminates the element of intent, defining an accidental brush of the ball as an intentional handball.

The proposed changes we seek are twofold: first, the definition of a 'handball' should be limited to the area up to the elbow, not the whole arm. Second, the rule should account for the player's intent or lack of it, particularly in self-defense situations where the player is avoiding potential injury.

The FIFA Laws of the Game 2019/20 states that “a player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation." However, it is often challenging to determine this in real-time during matches, leading to a myriad of controversial decisions that have tarnished the spirit of the game.

We firmly believe that by adopting these changes, games will have less controversy, players will be more protected, and the rules will be applied more fairly. We call upon the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA to consider these proposals. Your support could make a massive difference in the enforcement of fairness in one of the most influential sports worldwide. Please, uphold the integrity of Football and sign the petition for a fairer handball rule.