FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the World Sports Summit in Dubai that the organization is seriously considering a review of the offside rule. The Football Association wants to get away from lengthy video reviews, millimeter measurements and the constant dissatisfaction of fans and players.
We are talking about an idea that was proposed by former coach Arsene Wenger back in 2020. According to this approach, a player will not be considered offside if at least part of his body that can score a goal is in line with the last defender. Offside will only be called if the attacker is completely in front of the defender.
– We are looking at the offside rule, which has changed over time and now requires the striker to be behind or in line with the last defender. “Perhaps in the future a player will have to be completely in front of the defender to be considered offside,” Infantino emphasized.
According to former arbitrator Manuel Graefe, the likelihood of reform is high. On social media X, he wrote: “It’s clear the offside revolution is coming: the groundwork for a new rule has been laid and FIFA looks set to approve it in March along with the rules for next season.”
At the same time, Graefe notes that it will become even more difficult for assistant judges.
Let us recall that in September of this year, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino. The head of state expressed confidence that in cooperation with FIFA, Kazakhstan will be able to become a model for the dynamic development of football in the region.
