Refereeing legend Pierluigi Collina is understood to be among those backing Arsene Wenger’s bold new plan for the offside law.
Former Arsenal manager Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, wants to improve the laws to stop “armpit offsides” which have become a regular thing with VAR.
The Frenchman has proposed that if any part of the attacker’s body is level or behind the defender then the goal will stand rather than being ruled out for being a fraction in front.
Although the controversial proposal has been met with a mixed reception, it is understood to have support from those inside both FIFA and UEFA.
And legendary official Collina – currently the European governing body’s Head of Referees – is also on board with the plan.
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Wenger took up a position as FIFA’s chief of global football in November, with part of his role involving work with the International Football Association Board – football’s lawmaking body.
The use of VAR this season has been particularly controversial regarding the application of the offside rule, with a number of goals disallowed for marginal offences.
And speaking at the Laureas Awards earlier this week, Wenger said: “There is room to change the rule a little bit 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 because you will no longer have decisions about millimetres and a fraction of the attacker being in front of the defensive line.”
(Image: AFP)
The former Gunners boss later stressed that any proposed changes are “subject to a standard approval process”.
Meanwhile IFAB chief Lukas Brud has insisted that Wenger’s new concept will not be up for discussion at its Annual General Meeting in Belfast on February 29, meaning that there is no chance of it being passed or implemented before this summer’s Euros.
“It is not up for approval to come into the Laws of the Game,” Brud told ESPN.
“I’m not judging the proposal, it might be a good one, but this is not up for approval or for a vote as a concrete proposal to go into the Laws of the Game, it’s impossible.
“Arsene Wenger is a highly knowledgeable and experienced football expert, so we certainly welcome his ideas, but we haven’t discussed it yet and we simply cannot approve anything that was not discussed on any level so far.”
