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‘It should be debated’ – De Bruyne slams new handball rule

Kevin De Bruyne believes the new handball rule should be debated, after VAR controversially denied Manchester City a late winner against Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City had to settle for a point following a 2-2 draw at the Etihad, goals from Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero cancelled out by Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura for the visitors.

The Premier League champions saw a late Gabriel Jesus goal disallowed following a review, the ball having inadvertently struck Aymeric Laporte’s arm in the build-up to the Brazilian’s strike.

Under new rules, any goal will be disallowed should it strike an arm in the build-up to a goal, and De Bruyne insists the changes have led to confusion.

“I’m old fashioned and I’m not the biggest pro-VAR,” De Bruyne said.

“I was told after the game that if it had hit a Tottenham arm, it wouldn’t have been a penalty, so I don’t understand it. I don’t understand it at all. It should be debated.

“We knew it was being reviewed. Every goal is reviewed. When the referee did the disallowed goal sign, I didn’t know why, Tottenham didn’t know why.”

De Bruyne wants the law cleared up, with an accidental handball from the attacking side in the lead up to a goalscoring chance now being punished.

“It’s impossible for him to take his arm away,” KDB added. “What can he do? Should he chop his arm off and play without it?

“There’s nothing he can do because Nico [Otamendi] is in front of him just 10 centimetres, trying to head the ball.

“You can’t react in that space and amount of time. Make it clear – handball both sides.”

Speaking exclusively to The Football Faithful recently, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett accurately predicted that the new handball rule will cause ‘a lot of debate and confusion’, and it seems as though he was right. Take a look at his comments as he tries to explain the new rules.

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