Wenger proposes ‘daylight’ change to offside rule

The offside rule, which was proposed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, would make attackers onside if their entire body is in line with the last outfield defender.

The introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR), according to Wenger, head of global development at the world’s ruling body Fifa, will give the attacker a benefit that many believe has been lost.

Wenger compared the proposed change to a similar course of action from the 1990 World Cup.

A player was deemed offside if he was level with the opponent’s last defender before the goalkeeper both before and during that tournament.

The lowest total goals scored in World Cup history was 2.21 per game on average in 1990.

Wenger recalled the rule change, saying, “It was 1990 after the World Cup in Italy, when no goals were scored.”

When you are on the same line as the defender, “we decided there is no offside.”

The striker benefits from the doubt, according to the saying. The striker did indeed have the advantage when there was a fraction.

Wenger said more trials will take place before a final decision, which could be in 2026, has been made in Italian youth football.

The International Football Association Board (Ifab), one of the sport’s legal bodies, is in charge of any changes to the offside rule.

At its annual general meeting in March, Ifab consented to additional trials being conducted by Fifa.

It states that the trials’ objectives are to determine whether they “foster attacking football and encouraging goalscoring opportunities while maintaining the game’s attractiveness.”

Any potential rule changes would only be made after Ifab’s football and technical advisory panels received input from the football industry.

Former players and referees are among the panel members who have experience in the game of football.

A number of crucial factors are tracked by custom cameras, which show whether an attacking player’s body was beyond the ball’s last defender at the precise moment the ball was played.

The Premier League adopted the technology in April, after it was first used in elite-level football in England during the FA Cup in February.

Following the 1990 World Cup, the offside law was modified to include the modern back-pass rule and three points for a win as the global standard in an effort to promote attacking play.