While the introduction of VAR has generally been seen as beneficial in the fast-paced sport, the decisions around the offside rule have proved to be a point of controversy among the supporters. With the new season around the corner, the referring bodies of various leagues are examining the possibility of changes for the betterment of the quality of football.
One such change which is eagerly anticipated by the footballing world is the newly proposed offside rule. Since 2021, the IFAB along with FIFA has been working on a new idea presented by Arsene Wenger on implementing a new offside rule which might be the catalyst for football to move more offensively.
What is the proposed new rule?
The former Arsenal manager has pitched an idea for a new offside rule of IFAB, which is a dependent body of FIFA and is responsible for everything involving refereeing. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has expressed his desire to make amendments that could help to provide offensive football on multiple occasions. The Frenchman’s proposed idea is going to benefit the attackers as they will be allowed to be ahead of the defender as long as they keep a part of their body, with which a goal can be scored, in line with the last defender.
Based on a report, if the newly proposed rule is adopted, only two out of the four offside calls made under the current rule would be considered valid. Talking about the new rule, MARCA reported “At some point measures will be taken and it may even be determined that with five or six centimetres it is not offside. Everything is under study.”
New offside rule.. thoughts? pic.twitter.com/CMHDOIQfsS
— Football Hub (@FootbalIhub) July 2, 2023
Where does testing start?
Well, it is fair to say that this idea might take some time and encounter resistance to come into reality. The testing of this particular change will be implemented in the countries like Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy in the coming weeks. With the proposal of the idea in 2021 to testing about to begin, FIFA has made significant progress in moving forward with this idea.
In the early days of this initiative, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said “In 135 years of history, it has only been changed twice. Arsene Wenger has presented us with one possibility, which is that there is no offside if the striker is in an offside position, but a part of the body with which you can score a goal is in line with the defense. In this way, we would have a much more offensive football.”
While football is generally an easy-to-understand game, the concept of offside can be a bit complicated. However, with the introduction of VAR, there is minimal chance of offside incidents going unnoticed. There is no denying the fact that the implementation of the new rule will make the sport more offensive, though.
What’s your take on the new offside rule? Is it better for the game? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
