March 8 – Having already agreed to tweak the handball rule following a clamour for change from fans and pundits alike football’s lawmakers are also set to trial what would be the biggest revamping of the offside law for a century.
The adjustment, championed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, these days FIFA’s chief of global football development, would see attackers being ruled onside as long as any body part with which they can use to score is in line with the second to last opponent.
If approved, it would give strikers a significant advantage, effectively meaning offside would only be an offence if there is clear daylight between an attacker and defender.
FIFA to change handball law
Such a change has long been advocated by leading experts to get round VAR giving offside by the tightest of margins not seen by the naked eye.
Wenger presented his plans to the International FA Board last Friday and the new interpretation of the rule will be trialled in the lower leagues of Chinese football.
“Our aim as IFAB, and I am speaking under the control of my colleagues from IFAB, is always to see if we can make football more attractive – without changing the nature, obviously, of football,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“When it comes to the offside law, with the change in the game, with the speed in the game, with also the introduction of VAR – which makes it clear when there is an offside and when there is not – without VAR, the referees were having the instructions in case of doubt, you let go.
“We have been seeing that maybe we can think about a new law which allows a bit more attack in football.”
“Arsene Wenger presented to us today what this could look like. Obviously such a change would need to be tested. We have to see what kind of impact this will have on the game – if positive, if negative. If it is positive, we might go ahead. If it is negative, we step back.”
David Ellery, the former international referee and now technical director of IFAB added: “The test will be if any part of your body apart from the hand or arms is level with or behind the second last defender you would not be offside.”
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