At the end of January, the International Football Association Boardthe entity that regulates football laws, decided not to move forward with a proposal to modify the Offside Law, which was suggested by Frenchman Arsène Wenger, former coach of Arsenal, in London. He proposed that the infraction would only be signaled if the player had his body completely in front of the last defender. THE Fifa was in favor of this idea, but in the opinion of the other members of the IFAB the change could create difficulties in the defensive organization of the teams – and, therefore, it was not approved.
In the same meeting also another amendment was rejected in football movements that we know today: the one that provided for the introduction of temporary substitutions in situations of head collision between athletes. Therefore, there was great pressure to adopt new protocols to protect players. The day before the IFAB meeting, a letter signed by more than 25 leagues and unions.
The document was signed by the Premier League, from England, the MLS, from the USA, and Ligue 1, from France, in addition to the FIFPROthe global players’ union, the European Association of Leagues and the World Association of Leagues, which was sent to the organization requesting permission to implement temporary substitutions in cases of concussion.
Even Infantino was disappointed
Supporters of temporary substitution for concussed players argue that giving doctors additional time to evaluate athletes off the field can decrease the risk of aggravating an injury. “We were disappointed by the IFAB’s stance in refusing once again to implement this temporary concussion substitution rule,” he said. Luke Griggschief executive of Headway, a UK charity offering support to people with brain injuries.
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This rejection also caused disappointment for the Swiss Gianni InfantinoPresident of FIFA. “Frankly, every IFAB meeting where this rule is not introduced further credibility is lost on the issue of brain health in football,” he said.
