Arsene Wenger proposes changes in offside rule amidst marginal calls controversy

Arsene Wenger proposes alterations in the offside rule amidst marginal calls controversy because of VAR, the rule could be implemented in Euro 2020.

The offside rule and Premier League’s VAR are not going well with each other, as several close calls with millimetres of difference have costed goals to the teams.

On Monday, Chelsea was costed a goal after Oliver Giroud was found offside by a marginal difference against Manchester United, and this is not going to be the last incident if things continue.

Hence, Arsene Weger, who works for FIFA as the head of Global Development has drafted a new rule regarding the offside rule, which can certainly change the way of defending to another level.

The former Arsenal manager wants a player to be onside if any part of their body that can score a goal is behind or level with the relevant defender.

“The most difficult [issue] that people have [with VAR] is the offside rule,” Wenger said at the Laureus Sports Awards in Berlin. “You have had offsides by a fraction of a centimetre, literally by a nose. It is time to do this quickly.

“There is room to change the rule and not say that a part of a player’s nose is offside, so you are offside because you can score with that. Instead, you will not be offside if any part of the body that can score a goal is in line with the last defender, even if other parts of the attacker’s body are in front.

“That will sort it out and you will no longer have decisions about millimetres and a fraction of the attacker being in front of the defensive line.”

The new rule by Wenger will be heard by the law-making body, the International Football Association Board, on 29 February. The FAs of the four United Kingdom’s home nations and four Fifa representatives sit on the board and passing a motion requires a three-quarters majority.

Also read: Twitter thread detailing all refereeing errors against Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid goes viral

A change would come into force on 1 June, shortly before the European Championship finals which start 11 days later. As of now, English FA, Scottish FA, Irish FA and FA of Wales are speculated to back the proposal.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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