Tyrone Mings: 'Biggest mistake' Emery ever seen

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Ming's for Aston Villa and Gabriel Magalhaes for Arsenal picking up ball after short goal-kick

On November 7, 2024, Aston Villa conceded a goal from penalty against Club Brugge in thier 1-0 loss. In a bizarre incident, a mental lapse from Aston Villa's defender Tyrone Mings picked up the ball after a short goal-kick from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and penalized with a penalty for Club Brugge. Brugge captain Hans Vanaken converted the penalty to give his side a win. Unai Emery, Aston Villa's manager, admitted that it was the "biggest mistake" he has ever seen in his career. On a similar note, Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes escaped from a penalty in Uefa Champions League 2023-24 quarter final against Bayern Munich. Bayern's then coach Thomas Tuchel criticised the referee who had said he would not award a penalty for a "kid's mistake".

As per the Law 16 for goal-kick by IFAB, after the ball is in play, the kicker touches the ball again before it has touched another player, an indirect free kick is awarded; if the kicker commits a handball offence:

  • a direct free kick is awarded
  • a penalty kick is awarded if the offence occurred inside the kicker’s penalty area, unless the kicker was the goalkeeper, in which case an indirect free kick is awarded.
Law 16 talks about touching ball again before it touches another player. But in these two incidents, kicker is goalkeeper and player in question is an outfield player. So, regular rules for handball applied.

What are the rules determining handling the ball?

  • deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball.
  • touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. 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. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.
    • scores in the opponents’ goal:
    • directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper.
    • immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental.
Mings and Gabriel both have handled ball in their penalty area clearly as per the rule due to their brain froze at the thick of the moment.

While the laws of the game are clear, such incidents raise questions about the interpretation and application of the rules in unique situations. It's a debate that could continue to spark discussion among football enthusiasts.