Little-Known New Rule Had Everyone Baffled For Phil Jones Penalty In Cup Final

Manchester United and Chelsea's FA Cup final got off to a controversial start as a last man Phil Jones tackle brought down Eden Hazard and forced Michael Oliver into a decision. Oliver awarded a penalty and booked Jones, something that confused a large swath of viewers who felt a red card was the right call.

Jones got a yellow and Hazard scored the penalty. However, as of last season, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced a softening of this rule to avoid double punishments, i.e red card and a penalty. It means holding, pulling or pushing,  having no possibility to play the ball (serious foul play) violent conduct or a deliberate handball are still red cards but a genuine attempt is a yellow, as the full amendment outlined:

When a denial of a goalscoring opportunity offence is committed by a defender in the penalty area, the penalty kick effectively restores the goalscoring opportunity so the punishment for the player should be less strong (e.g. a yellow card) than when the offence is committed outside the penalty area. However, when the offence is handball or clearly not a genuine attempt to play or challenge for the ball, the player will be sent off.

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