What IFAB rules say about penalty against Rangers as VAR decision on John Souttar gets ultimate verdict

They have conceded a first half penalty against Benfica - but what do the football lawmakers say about the spot-kick against Rangers in their Europa League round of 16 clash?

A cross into the Light Blues box saw the ball deflected onto the arm of John Souttar inside the box. VAR took a lengthy look at the incident and eventually, referee Tobias Stieler pointed to the spot after a second look.

Angel Di Maria stepped up and put it away, with Tom Lawrence having put Rangers ahead earlier in the half. Dujon Sterling made sure they did not feel sorry for themselves and got up the park to score an instant reply.

Some on social media have raised their eyebrows on the incident, with some feeling Souttar headed the ball onto his own arm. TNT Sport co-commentator Alan Hutton wasn't so sure what the defender was supposed to do, and the IFAB rules make it clear the criteria for what needs to happen for a penalty because of handball to be given.

Their rules state: "Handball is the illegal contact/touch of the ball with the hand(s) and/or arm(s). However, it is not automatically a handball offence every time the ball touches a player’s hand/arm. A handball offence is when a player (except the goalkeeper in their own penalty area) deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm.

"Touches the ball with their hand/arm when it is in a position that makes their body unnaturally bigger and when that position is not the result of their body moving fairly as part of play. Scores a goal against the other team with their hand/arm or scores immediately after the ball touches their hand/arm (even if the touch was accidental)

"The hand and the arm below the bottom of the armpit are the parts of the body used for a possible handball offence. A handball is punished with a direct free kick (or a penalty if the handball offence occurs in the player’s own penalty area)."

Hutton said: "It's one of those. He gets the head there first, it hits the arm. It's such a hard one as nowadays you don't really know. It depends on how you look at it. It's so difficult. There is no doubting it hits his arm but he heads it there first. You need to move your arms."