More than 150 years ago, more precisely in 1863, the rules of the game of football were formulated. Already in that edition there was a place for the concept of “offside”. Then any player who was closer to the opponent’s goal than the ball got into the offside position. By our time, the rule has undergone quite a lot of changes, and now it is on the verge of another one.
Recently, FIFA (in order to make football more spectacular and dynamic) proposed a new interpretation of offside fixing. It has already been decided to test this approach in youth tournaments and matches of the lower leagues of the national championships.
The main task is to increase the number of goals. If the rule is nevertheless approved, then not only football, but also bets on it will undergo changes. Especially the handicap and total markets. A detailed review of one of the best modern bookmakers is available on the mostbet club top website.
What does FIFA offer
To better understand the essence of the changes, briefly recall the current rules. Offside is a situation when a player of the attacking team at the time of the transfer is closer to the opponent’s goal than the ball and the penultimate player of the opposing team. An offside position is only awarded if the player has received the ball or has had a significant impact on the playing episode.
After the introduction of the VAR system, referees were able to notice even millimeter offsides. So, a goal can be canceled due to the toe of the boot, which is slightly ahead of the projection of the defender’s shoulder.
In the new version of the rules, offside will only be called if the entire body of the attacking player is closer to the opponent’s goal than the ball or the opponent. The attacker may be half a body closer to the goal, but if his leg (arm or any other part of the body) is in line with the defender, the position will be legal and the game will continue.
According to insiders, the author of such an idea was the former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger. This is not his first revolutionary attempt to change football. For example, the Frenchman recently took the initiative to hold the World Cup every two years, which drew the ire of Josep Guardiola and other former colleagues.
Advantages and disadvantages of the idea
The main advantage is very easy to read – it will be much easier for the attackers, and much harder for the defenders. Therefore, the overall performance of matches should increase. As you know, fans in many ways love football precisely for goals.
Such global changes will definitely make the game a little different. Many tactical options or models will be reviewed and adapted. Some will say that change is the engine of progress, and they will be right. And others may oppose that the best is the enemy of the good, and there is no need to fix what is not broken. And they will be right too.
Among the shortcomings, we note the complication of life for arbitrators. Where VAR is used, there will be no problems. Programmers will quickly rewrite line drawing algorithms. But where there is no video assistant, it will be difficult. In this case, it will be very difficult to do without scandals and disputes.
Is this the final decision?
At the moment, the updated offside has moved from the “Ideas” category to the “Tested” category. Now the testing phase will begin by introducing innovations in youth and second-league tournaments. There is no guarantee that the changes will be approved. On the other hand, the very fact of the start of testing already indicates that the rule is being seriously evaluated and it definitely has a chance of being fully implemented.
