NEW RULE: FIFA Changes Offside Regulations
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) plans to change the rule for determining offside, according to the publication Mundo Deportivo.
It is noted that following a meeting between FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) it was decided to test the new offside rule. Now a player of the attacking team will be in offside if his whole body is closer to the opponent’s goal at the moment of the pass than that of the defending player. FIFA assumes that the innovation should make the game more dynamic and spectacular.
The rule will be tested in the Italian, Swedish and Dutch leagues. Former London Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA director of development, is one of the initiators of the reform.
Currently, offside in football is detected when any part of the attacking player’s body, except the arm, is closer to the goal than the opponent’s defender at the moment of the pass.
Credit: Telcom Asia