Between 18 December 2020 and 5 January 2021, no less than 50 penalties were awarded across the top four leagues in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga.
Fourteen were given in England, 16 in Spain, 15 in Italy, and finally five in Germany, with the Bundesliga having significantly less due to their festive break.
Surprisingly, however, none of the penalties awarded in the Premier League were awarded for handball, with referees noticeably less harsh towards this infraction recently compared to previously.
La Liga remains the worst offending top four league for handballs penalised, with 18 out of the 68 awarded so far for a handball foul.
Premier League PENALTIES
2020/21 SO FAR
Team | Date Given | Match | Cause of Pen |
Liverpool | 12 Sept 2020 | Liverpool 4-3 Leeds | Handball (Robin Koch) |
Crystal Palace | 19 Sept 2020 | Man Utd 1-3 Palace | Handball (Victor Lindelof) |
Southampton | 20 Sept 2020 | Southampton 2-5 Tottenham | Handball (Matt Doherty) |
Man Utd | 26 Sept 2020 | Brighton 2-3 Man Utd | Handball (Neap Maupay) |
Everton | 26 Sept 2020 | Palace 1-2 Everton | Handball (Joel Ward) |
Newcastle | 27 Sept 2020 | Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle | Handball (Eric Dier) |
Fulham | 18 Oct 2020 | Sheff Utd 1-1 Fulham | Handball (Jack Robinson) |
Leicester | 8 Nov 2020 | Leicester 1-0 Wolves | Handball (Max Kilman) |
Man City | 8 Nov 2020 | Man City 1-1 Liverpool | Handball (Joe Gomez) |
Man Utd | 21 Nov 2020 | Man Utd 1-0 West Brom | Handballl (Darnell Furlong) |
Brighton | 7 Dec 2020 | Brighton 1-2 Southampton | Handballl (James Ward-Prowse) |
Liverpool | 13 Dec 2020 | Fulham 1-1 Liverpool | Handballl (Aboubakar Kamara) |
Out of the 67 penalties awarded in the Premier League so far this season, 12 have been for handball.
LA LIGA PENALTIES
2020/21 SO FAR
Team | Date Given | Match | Cause of Pen |
Betis | 20 Sept 2020 | Betis 2-0 Valladolid | Handball (Oscar Plano) |
R. Madrid | 26 Sept 2020 | Betis 2-3 Real Madrid | Handball (Marc Bartra) |
Levante | 27 Sept 2020 | Osasuna 1-3 Levante | Handball (Raul Navas) |
Eibar | 30 Sept 2020 | Eibar 0-1 Elche | Handball (Pere Milla) |
Villarreal | 30 Sept 2020 | Villarreal 1-1 Huesca | Handball (Pablo Maffeo) |
R. Sociedad | 3 Oct 2020 | R. Sociedad 3-0 Getafe | Handball (Mathias Olivera) |
Eibar | 3 Oct 2020 | Valladolid 1-2 Eibar | Handball (Jawad El Yamiq) |
R. Madrid | 24 Oct 2020 | Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid | Foul (Clement Lenglet) |
R. Sociedad | 25 Oct 2020 | R. Sociedad 4-1 Huesca | Handball (Pablo Maffeo) |
Atletico | 31 Oct 2020 | Osasuna 1-3 Atletico | Handball (Oier Sanjurjo) |
Elche | 6 Nov 2020 | Elche 1-1 Athletic | Handball (Hugo Mallo) |
Valencia | 8 Nov 2020 | Valencia 4-1 Real Madrid | Handball (Lucas Vaquez) |
Valencia | 8 Nov 2020 | Valencia 4-1 Real Madrid | Handball (Sergio Ramos) |
Barcelona | 8 Nov 2020 | Barcelona 5-2 Betis | Handball (Aissa Mandi) |
Real Madrid | 28 Nov 2020 | Real Madrid 1-2 Athletic | Handball (Nacho) |
Sevilla | 19 Dec 2020 | Sevilla 1-1 Valladolid | Handball (Fede) |
Huesca | 22 Dec 2020 | Huesca 1-1 Levante | Handball (Ruben Vezo) |
Sevilla | 29 Dec 2020 | Sevilla 2-0 Villarreal | Handball (Juan Foyth) |
Out of the 68 penalties awarded in La Liga so far this season, 18 have been for handball.
Serie A PENALTIES
2020/21 SO FAR
Team | Date Given | Match | Cause of Pen |
Juventus | 27 Sept 2020 | Roma 2-2 Juventus | Handball (Lorenzo Pellegrini) |
Roma | 27 Sept 2020 | Roma 2-2 Juventus | Handball (Adrien Rabiot) |
Sassuolo | 3 Oct 2020 | Sassuolo 4-1 Crotone | Handball (Simy) |
Sampdoria | 24 Oct 2020 | Atalanta 1-3 Sampdoria | Handball (Johan Mojica) |
Sassuolo | 1 Nov 2020 | Napoli 0-2 Sassuolo | Handball (Giovanni Di Lorenzo) |
Juventus | 1 Nov 2020 | Spezia 1-4 Juventus | Handball (Paolo Bartolomei) |
Lazio | 1 Nov 2020 | Torino 3-4 Lazio | Handball (Nicolas N'Koulou) |
Lazio | 6 Dec 2020 | Sampdoria 1-2 Milan | Handball (Jakub Jankto) |
Sassuolo | 11 Dec 2020 | Sassuolo 1-0 Benevento | Handball (Alessandro Tuia) |
Inter | 20 Dec 2020 | Inter 2-1 Spezia | Handball (M'Bala Nzola) |
Milan | 23 Dec 2020 | Milan 3-2 Lazio | Handball (Patric) |
Napoli | 3 Jan 2021 | Cagliari 1-4 Napoli | Handball (Fabrizio Caligara) |
Out of the 57 penalties awarded in Serie A so far this season, 12 have been for handball.
Bundesliga PENALTIES
2020/21 SO FAR
Team | Date Given | Match | Cause of Pen |
RB Leipzig | 3 Oct 2020 | RB Leipzig 4-0 Schalke | Handball (Matija Nastasic) |
Gladbach | 24 Oct 2020 | Mainz 2-3 Gladbach | Handball (Moussa Niakhate) |
Leverkusen | 26 Oct 2020 | Leverkusen 3-1 A'burg | Handball (R. Framberger) |
Stuttgart | 30 Oct 2020 | Schalke 1-1 Stuttgart | Handball (Salif Sane) |
Werder Bremen | 6 Nov 2020 | Bremen 1-1 Koln | Handball (Elvis Rexhbecaj) |
Hoffenheim | 8 Nov 2020 | W'burg 2-1 Hoffenheim | Handball (Maxence Lacroix) |
Wolfsburg | 12 Dec 2020 | W'burg 2-1 Frankfurt | Handball (Stefan Ilsanker) |
Leverkusen | 13 Dec 2020 | Leverkusen 4-1Hoffenheim | Handball (H.Nordtveit) |
Frankfurt | 15 Dec 2020 | Frankfurt 3-3 Gladbach | Handball (Stefan Lainer) |
Freiburg | 02 Jan 2021 | Hoffenheim 1-3 Freiburg | Handball (Melayro Bogarde) |
Out of the 52 penalties awarded in the Bundesliga so far this season, 10 have been for handball.
Why is it happening?
Now, players can be penalised for the slightest touch of the ball to the hand, no matter the situation, their body shape, or whether it was intentional.
After seeing his side concede a penalty against Everton to lose 2-1, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson said what a lot of people were thinking; the handball rule is "nonsense".
"It's completely unacceptable. It's destroying my enjoyment of the game of football," he continued.
"I can't understand how everyone in the game - the Premier League, referees, managers and coaches - have allowed this rule to come into operation.
"I don't want to profit from it or lose from it."
There is certainly a lot more scrutiny on decisions nowadays due to VAR, while the handball rule seems so ridiculous that any decision penalty given for one is also highlighted more than other decisions.