Italian FA trialling major change to offside rule…and it’s proven to lead to more goals

THE Italian FA are trialling a major change to the offside rule which is proven to lead to more goals.

The changes, developed by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, would only see an offside given if there is a clear space between the attacker and the defender.

The Italian FA is set to trial a major change to the offside ruleRex

GettyThere have been a lot of contentious VAR decisions this season[/caption]

Wenger has previously spoken of his desire to make changes to the offside rule and has been a long time advocate of this but was aware of the difficulties in implementing any changes.

Back in 2020 he said: “My objective, as well as Fifa’s, is to continuously think about ways to improve our game.

“We shouldn’t be afraid to debate them in public.

“But I am well aware any rule changes are subject to a standard approval process.

“That includes discussions with stakeholders and potential test phases, within the scope of the established IFAB framework.”

The proposal was explained back in February before its first trial in the Italian u18’s championship by Christos Kanellas, Fifa’s high performance manager.

He said: “The idea was born to favour a more offensive game, increase the chances of scoring goals and make the game more exciting.”

The Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina said: The Italian Football Federation is at the forefront of the development of the game.

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“We have made ourselves available to continue testing in the Under 18 championship because innovation is in our DNA.

“We are not afraid of change both on and off the pitch and, in close synergy with Fifa, we will continue to study the effects of a change to the offside rule.”

Matteo Trefoloni, head of the technical sector, explained the way the law will change.

He said: “The experiment states that a player is no longer considered punishable if any part of the body with which he can score a goal is in line with the penultimate defender. 

“Therefore, in order for an offside to be sanctioned between the attacker in the most advanced position and the defender, there must be the so-called light, i.e. they must be visually separated.”

The rule change was first trialled back in April 2022 in 35 matches.

The players, coaches and referees who participated in the survey gave a positive overall opinion.

They indicated a reduced impact of the proposed change on the game and an overall increase in scoring opportunities.

Italian Football has been at the forefront of trialling new technology with the first VAR test having taken place in the friendly between Italy and France in September 2016 in Bari.

Last December the use of semi-automatic offside was approved and was then bought into use from 27 January in Serie A.