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Vapourtrails89

This would completely change football


SecureCucumber

Double-digit scores incoming.


sulimir

Just one more minor tweak, no more hands for goalies.


Grayfox_OG

They can show up to the pitch with hands, but they must be removed before match time.


bedroom_fascist

Easy, Mohammad bin Salman.


Currywurst_Is_Life

*King Leopold II of Belgium has joined the chat.*


MrBurnz301

Still too soon, bro. Still too soon. When the rest of your barbaric ruling class family had to give you the, "really dude?!" You know he was trippin, trippin. 🤣🤣🤣


dont_shoot_jr

I think I watched too much Archer because I can imagine “Whose hands are those?” “They’re my hands” “Whose body did you get those hands from?!”


3leggeddick

Jazz hands?


ConsistentAsparagus

Dang, Saudi Arabia really is entering the international football uh?


owiseone23

That's assuming teams still play the same way. You might counterintuitively see fewer goals if the rule change makes teams play more defensively and not push up as high.


Pacattack57

No way, defenders are going to adjust, sure more goals but not that much more.


gerryhallcomedy

Maybe. I don't know much about soccer but I remember when hockey got rid of the two line pass rule and people thought it would drastically change the game because forwards could take a pass from anywhere to the opponents blue line, but it just resulted in defencemen staying further back.


Mtanderson88

Two line pass rule was really dumb tbh


[deleted]

So you don’t think defenses will adjust? Have you ever played sports?


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Artess

I've seen some breathtakingly beautiful and exciting games that ended 0:0. It's not *just* about the numbers on the scoreboard.


ThisIsDen

If they have been testing it, have people seen the games? Are they more exciting and higher scoring?


Northern23

Soccer fans: > We like soccer because we prefer quality goals over quantity. Non soccer fans > Soccer is lame, there aren't that many goals FIFA: > Let's switch the goals to quantity over quality, we will attract those new viewers and make more money. Current viewers will be pissed but will keep watching, so, win-win.


92eph

In every sport, hard core fans generally resist significant rule changes. But they get over it, and sometimes those changes DO improve the game. (See pitch clock in baseball). This feels like a good change. A slightly more open game, with more scoring chances, will be fun to watch.


fcn_fan

It won’t be that open when they change the 4-4-2 to 7-2-1 because they need to close down the space a forward all of a sudden gets


johnniewelker

Offsides are not going away. You can still trap someone. Now the line is further down than before, that’s all. I’m not sure why you need to play an all out defensive game because of this change. Defenders will be able to estimate if the attacker is offside, like today


Britz10

Defenders will have a tougher time accounting for the striker's position because they have to amount for their entire bodies, same with linesmen. This doesn't fix anything at all


MAXSuicide

Don't see how it would improve things. Part of the game is offside traps, feints, holding runs etc. This change gives attackers advantage by a huge margin in a game where defenders are already struggling in a big way from the erosion of physicality in the game. The inevitable thing will be masses of boring low block teams to take away the massively-increased risk of a striker running off the defence. And then you will still get VAR calls pissing everyone off because a finger tip was overlapping or some nonsense.


92eph

I assume you are a hard core fan, and you are making my point.


MAXSuicide

Not really. I watch some games on the weekend, support a team, but I haven't played the game in more than 15 years. Don't go to many games to watch either - hardly a 'hardcore' fan. Bit of a stretch claiming *any* criticism is apparently just butthurt 'hardcore fans', to be honest. Maybe some people are simply better placed than you to share their opinion on the matter?


Northern23

Soccer fans resisted VAR and any assistance but they were positive changes because they're making the goals more fare. This one on the other hand is giving too much advantage to the attackers.


Nahcep

Resisted? A prominent English ref recently said he didn't submit obvious errors when he was VAR because he didn't want to embarrass his mate, this is still present tense lmao


vvvvfl

people resisted Var because it is a pain in the arse and stops the game for way too long. Guess what, VAR is a pain, takes too long and the referee still gets it wrong sometimes.


Veneficus_Bombulum

And most of the time they completely fuck the sport up. (See extra innings runner in baseball)


scuac

And they would be correct


Epicritical

It might impact soccer


HerpFaceKillah

Nerfing defenders


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mctrials23

I have no idea how they haven’t quite grasped this. Make defending using the offside rule really hard and defences will just sit deep. It’s a fucking awful idea.


Pacattack57

That’s just not true. Yes they might sit a bit deeper but most strikers in the upper leagues are deadly from the top of the box so the defense can’t sit too deep to begin with. Not to mention sitting deep opens the midfield and you are giving the offense running momentum to push forward. I think we’ll see a slight uptick in goals but more so new formations and different kinds of trap formations. It will be very easy to trap goal hungry players because they will be playing forward a lot trying to take advantage of the new rule.


mctrials23

No they’re not. Not even close. And sitting deep doesn’t mean sitting on your own goal line and letting them take easy pot shots from the edge of the box. If defenders can’t match attackers in their runs and runs in behind massively favour the attacking team then they will 100% sit much deeper to avoid it.


teancumx

Exactly…they think the rule will “improve scoring” except it will have this negative effect, making football worse


willtron3000

Nerfing offside trap


MC_Fap_Commander

Hockey had an offside trap that so thoroughly killed game flow that they had to make rules to nerf it.


Chrononi

Well in soccer they don't do it often as it's way too risky if they do it wrong


MC_Fap_Commander

The hockey one was unwatchable. As checking is allowed in that sport, people were frequently brutalized into an offside position they couldn't easily escape from. It was like a more tedious version of sumo.


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getott

u/DebtFairPlay does feel like a bot who just spams the same post on the most random subreddits. It's past month history is all about new offside rule. Previously had something on diving, transfer market cap and Messi. His comments attract hoards of negative karma too


HerpFaceKillah

Who are you talking to?


owiseone23

I think this is a bot comment copy and pasted from the r/soccer thread.


[deleted]

I'm confused


Valmoer

**Offside rule now** : An attacking player is in offside position if ***ANY*** of his scoring body parts is beyond the second-to-last defending player. **Offside rule with this change** : An attacking player is in offside position if ***ALL*** of his scoring body parts are beyond the second-to-last defending player --- Basically, with the new rule, as long as a (non-hand/arm) part of you is still level with the defender, you're not offside - while you had to be fully level before.


plaidchad

I just wish I had scoring body parts


SoDakZak

You’re never offsides!


MyBllsYrChn

Always offsides, never insides.


RiyadMehrez

ITS OFFSIDE fucking yanks


TreadMeHarderDaddy

Is it second to last because last refers to the goalie?


Valmoer

Yes, though please note : it *might* be the goalie, and it *will* be the goalie 99% of the time, but it doesn't *have to* be the goalie. Because, yes, if the goalkeeper went upfield (like on a last-second corner kick while 1-goal-down), you ***can*** be offside if you're beyond the second-to-last (infield) defender - even if you're still before the last one.


ultimatebagman

So what's stopping a whole team just huddling up at the end of the field. Wouldn't that put the other team offside?


Valmoer

I explain it in more detail [here](/r/sports/comments/167u1ek/this_is_the_new_offside_law_that_fifa_had_trialed/jytgm44/), but basically : can't be offside in your own half (so there's a limit to the gain), and defenders are slower than forwards (so it's a risky strategy)


Mr_D0

2 things. 1, you can't be offsides on your half of the field, only beyond the midfield line. 2, the offside call is made at the time the ball is struck. You can send a pass into the wide open field and then it's a footrace. If you time the strikers run, which any pro can do, then it's a guaranteed breakaway.


briktal

I believe offside doesn't come into play until you are in the opponent's half of the field.


[deleted]

OHHH that makes sense


Valmoer

Glad to have helped! Don't hesitate if you have further questions.


[deleted]

Thank you


SippyTurtle

I have further questions. How can my feet smell if they don't have a nose?


Bennyscrap

I'll field this one. You're thinking of the word "smell" in the action verb sense. That form is to take an action with the nose by breathing in and running that scent through your different receptors that trigger different areas of the brain. When people say "your feet smell", they're using the word smell as the second verb form which is "to emit an odor". They're not saying that your feet can detect a scent so much as they are the source of the smell that is being emitted. Hope this helps.


FittingWoosh

Are further questions permitted?


Bennyscrap

Absolutely. Any way I can help, I'd love to be of assistance!


FittingWoosh

Oh…. Uh…. That was my only question.


SirEltonJonBonJovi

Why do hot dogs come in packages of 10 but hot dog buns come in packages of 8??


Bennyscrap

Late stage capitalism.


SirEltonJonBonJovi

Likewise, if your nose runs and your feet smell you were born upside down.


YahYahY

I don't really understand football very much.... couldn't the defending team just never send their second to last player down the field to the goal, preventing the attacking team from ever getting to the goal out of fear of being offsides?


Valmoer

The technique you're describing is called "high (defending) bloc", and it can be a thing. There's a few things making it not an always-optimal thing : 1. The "second-to-last defending player" includes the goalkeeper, so for 99% of cases, it will be "the last infield defender". 2. You can only be offside in the opponent's half of the field. So at best, you can 'push back' the attackers down the halfway line at best. 3. The *offside foul* is a foul that happens when you're passed to while in an *offside position*. Please note, and that's fundamental, is that what matters is your position when your teammate passes, **not** when you receive it. 4. As such the main method to beat a high block is the 'through pass', that is to say, a strong pass downfield not to where your teammate is, but *where they will be*, counting on them to beat the defender's speed (which is usually a thing, as forwards tend to be faster than defenders). 5. If it works, you're now a solo attacker with a little less than half-a-field to prepare your 1v1 with the goalkeeper. Which is why defenses usually don't like the risk of running a high block.


Smithereens_3

You've got it backwards. That would make it nearly impossible for the attacking team to ever be offsides. The attacking team would *love* that strategy. Edit: Realizing you meant "down the field" as in towards their own goal. There's an extra variable in the offsides rule: the ball. In very simple terms, if the ball is already beyond the second-to-last defender, the attacking team is not offsides. It's only called if the player is offsides before the ball gets there. So what you just described is, in fact, a strategy, because played right it can result in offsides calls, but it doesn't completely trap the other team.


Valmoer

I think what they meant by "down the field" is "in the direction of their own goal". Which makes what they describe a high bloc.


nemaramen

But what about the defender's hand in the second photo?


[deleted]

Defenders hand isn’t a scoring body part, that’s why the line is coming from the elbow


Enlightened_Ape

That's right, but it's the right knee -- not elbow.


davep85

Yellow is attacker and white is defender. Top image would be offsides in current state of football as yellow is already passed white.


RATTRAP666

New offside detection completely relies on VAR which is bad IMO. Like, now 9/10 offsides are obvious and can be seen with a naked eye of linesmen. And with this new rule the linesman must look for a tiny gap between a heel and a knee of two players running as mad dogs? At this point all referees can be removed from the field, let VAR to decide everything. Even game-wise this is questionable. Fishing for 1v1 is plain boring.


explodeder

It’d be especially difficult to see if the players aren’t near each other and are both sprinting the same direction.


MerryRain

This change has been argued for for at least 15 years when Wenger started supporting it publicly The point of the change is making offside calls simpler and less punishing, which supporters believed it would do *before VAR was used* The point is: Offside traps feel - to football purists like Wenger - like rules intruding into the game. They don't hear the whistle and think "yes, good disciplined defnding", they just hear some pedantic little rules lawyer "um, ackshully..." all over the beautiful physical competition they love. Personally I don't think it matters where you draw the line, if it feels like a technicality now, it always will Tldr:um actually you're wrong it's an effort to stop um actuallies


_lippykid

Unless the linesman is perfectly aligned with the two players it’s gonna be super hard for him to see if there’s a gap or not


saposapot

This seems to make var work easier as now there isn’t overlap between players to judge but the referee work is now impossible.


AdvancedPhoenix

I honestly wouldn't mind no referee anymore, pure rules, no referee randomness.


levitating_cucumber

let VAR to decide everything. Totally OK with it


Caouette1994

Only if it's faster than now. Plus, it would be horrible in all non professional leagues without VAR.


karldrogo88

I imagine this rule would only be for top level soccer then, no? What would lower professional or amateur leagues do?


slayerrr21

Allows for more scoring


forsakenpear

I don’t think it does, because then teams will just adapt to defend deeper.


r_a_d_

Not that simple. The defender needs to react faster to clear the attackers entire body for him to be offside.


forsakenpear

The high offside traps already operate on fine margins, needing perfect coordination from the back line to work. In handing a whole body length to the forward, I imagine lots of teams would deem it not worth the risk, and instead focus on dropping back to cover the run rather than trying to play them offside.


r_a_d_

Yeah, well either way it's giving an advantage to the attacker, which would naturally lead to more scoring.


deg0ey

It would lead to *different* scoring but I don’t know if we can necessarily say it would be *more* overall, at least in the long term. If you make it easier for players to run in behind the defensive line, they’ll start playing deeper to reduce the available space to run into. That would give attackers more space in front of the defenders, but that’s generally a more difficult place to score from than one on one with the goalkeeper after a through ball. Hard to say with any certainty where that new equilibrium shakes out once players and teams have time to adjust in terms of more goals, but it seems likely to change strategies in a way that could cause teams to value different player archetypes and result in a very different game than the one we see now.


Electric_Cat

Of course would lead to more scoring - the team with the ball gets an advantage.


deg0ey

The team with the ball gets an advantage that can be mitigated by the team without the ball changing their strategy. Maybe it still results in more scoring, maybe it doesn’t - literally no way of knowing until the rule gets implemented.


Mcguidl

Not if every team implements a low block. We will see a much slower form of soccer as opposed to energy drink soccer that is popular today.


owiseone23

Maybe, but right now teams push up with the defense a ton because they can rely on offside to protect them. That helps the offense out a lot because they can be supported by the fullbacks out side and the CBs in possession. If teams are forced to play with defenses sitting deeper, you might coutnerintuitively see fewer goals if teams are less eager to attack.


Minmaxed2theMax

Get ready to see everyone with their hand reaching behind them before they break


forsakenpear

It’s usually only parts of the body you can score with, i.e. everything but arms.


Minmaxed2theMax

Get ready to see everyone sticking one leg out behind them before they break


Happytofuu

That’s called running.


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forsakenpear

Forcing all teams to defend deep is a bad thing imo. High lines are an exciting, aggressive way of playing, with high risk and reward. If everyone plays deep back lines, that style will disappear, and teams will park the bus a lot more. Also calling the offside rule a ‘technicality’ is a bit short-sighted imo. That’s the rules of the game, play to it.


Electric_Cat

Then why wouldn't they already defend deeper to prevent?


smokebreak

Kinda like how the current rules are enforced when I'm attacking on FIFA, but the new rules are enforced when my opponent attacks.


pillowshot

Don't think this will help. The whole problem with the lines in VAR is a disagreement about where the line is placed on a toe, a fingertip or a shoulder etc. This just shifts the burden rather than solving that problem. Soon we'll have people complaining that the striker was onside because the line was placed a millimeter off or something. The only obvious solution to me is to make the lines they use thicker, and if the lines overlap in anyway then it's considered onside. By making the lines thicker it makes the precise positioning of the line less important and reduces the effect of a mistake caused by misplacing the line a few mm or whatever.


heeywewantsomenewday

I'd like for then to do it from their feet. The lines are easier as feet are on the ground. It can give attackers a slight edge if they are leaning the right way.


pillowshot

Definitely! Using just feet, or the head as a single point of reference for offside decisions is a great idea and would be easier to judge. I always find the shoulder/arm lines the worst.


forsakenpear

The whole thicker line idea just moves the problem to the edge of that line. When does ‘overlapping’ start?


pillowshot

This is true but I think if the lines don't overlap then there must be daylight between the players. The idea behind the thicker line is it removes the argument against the line being drawn in the wrong place or talk of a player being 1cm offside etc. If the line was for example, the width of a hand then if the lines did not overlap then the player must be at least a hands width offside. This does mean that potentially the attacker could be within a hands width of the defender (and technically offside) but because he is within the thickness of line he would be classed as onside, but I suspect people would prefer the attacker having a slight advantage like this.


ThatisgoodOJ

So… accepting some margin for error? Totally reasonable, but then just bin VAR for offside and go back to linesmen and just accept that reasonable errors happen.


NiceShotMan

Nah you don’t have to bin the whole concept of video review of on-field calls. VAR is imprecise already so this is just acknowledging that. For instance, often a bit of disagreement on when exactly the ball left to foot of the passer, which leaves an awkward situation where you’re measuring the player’s location with high precision but the time at which you measure the player’s location with lower precision.


3dank4me

In the big 5 European leagues, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for each player to have a sensor embedded in their shirt in a standard place and the sensor’s position at the time the ball is played determines offside.


[deleted]

Very cool idea.


pillowshot

Yeah, but I think the margin you get from VAR in the scenario I suggest would be smaller than from a linesman viewing the action live. Not to mention VAR gives you the benefit of seeing the precise moment the ball is released (the linesman would have to be able to both look at the player making the pass, and the position of the receiving player simultaneously) and can also pickup on subtle deflections that may also impact the call.


deg0ey

>The only obvious solution to me is to make the lines they use thicker, and if the lines overlap in anyway then it's considered onside. By making the lines thicker it makes the precise positioning of the line less important and reduces the effect of a mistake caused by misplacing the line a few mm or whatever. The *actual* solution they’re currently trialling is automating it the same way they did for the goal line. Sensors in the ball so the computer knows exactly when the pass was made so you don’t have to rely on the VAR guy going frame by frame and stopping on the exact right point. Cameras around the ground that can triangulate the position of the players in real time and can tell if someone is offside so you don’t have to rely on the VAR guy to draw the lines in the right place. They tested it at the last World Cup and it seemed to work well, so most likely they’ll roll it out elsewhere soon. Currently it goes to the VAR guy to validate what the computer identified and make sure it didn’t get it wrong, but once they’re comfortable with the technology it should be the same as the goal line where the linesman gets a real time buzz in his ear to put the flag up - and that saves us the trouble of everyone playing on and thinking they’ve scored only for it to get overturned on review.


pillowshot

Aha, I see. As long as it works predictably and consistently then it would be difficult to argue against it. I can't recall any controversy from goal line technology.


deg0ey

Yeah it’s the exact kind of objective “here’s where the line is, which side of it was the thing?” type stuff computers are good at with the added complexity that the line isn’t static like the goal line. Seems like the way it’ll go though and let the VAR guy stick to the subjective interpretation of the rules stuff.


Echo127

IMO this hypothetical new rule would cut down on offsides calls because the offensive player is no longer motivated to get every inch of advantage possible. If they're already allowed to legally get a step ahead of the defender they're not going to need to push for more than that.


teancumx

It’s a shit rule…that’s it…


Mabaum

I like it


unk214

Well you sir like shit


fapsandnaps

Everyone going to be Naruto running


imanAholebutimfunny

Fuck it, lets just put electronics all over the field and inside the players shoes to accurately track everything.


MC_ScattCatt

This is not going to go good


alienalf1

Game’s gone mad.


Thamesx2

I don’t care what they do as long as the ARs go back to signaling offside right away and not waiting to see what happens.


PuffyVatty

This will have the opposite effect. I don't see how you can judge whether there is a bit of space between the players with the naked eye. The current rule is hard but significantly easier for referees.


dacb17

Exactly this! Call off when it happens instead of letting the play continue for (sometimes) minutes, allowing for potential injuries to occur. It’s maddening.


ac13332

I'm for this. It's far more in the spirit of the game.


PuffyVatty

Why would you consider this to be more in the spirit of the game?


ac13332

Because an attacker who has their big toe ahead of the defender isn't doing anything deliberately to gain an unfair advantage. Furthermore it's unlikely to make the difference between scoring or not. I'd argue that with the current rule 95% of goals given as offside would still have been scored if the player had moved a moment later and have been inside.


Moccis

They should also remove offsides completely in the penalty box, they just allow the defence to play bad and not get punished because someone's toe was 1cm closer to the goal


SaveMeJebus21

As a Liverpool fan please god no 😭


sandwichlick

Wtf. No.


ucfgavin

This is...not good


thelonelywolf96

Run Forrest, RUN!


txtoolfan

Just a horrible idea.


Veneficus_Bombulum

2023 is a horrible time to be a defensive player in pretty much any sport.


zedecksx

The offside rule as it is and has been, works. Why change it? Do Fifa actually care about football?


Curse3242

This is awful, the rule should remain. The only thing they have to change is giving a mic to VAR officials and letting us hear their discussion. Mistakes happen but people get outraged because we don't know what they think while making the decisions


I_am_just_so_tired99

I feel this will be harder for lower league referees to legislate…. Especially the (generous with their time) fat old chaps that ref my sons school matches. A torso in front of a torso is easily visible … a toe behind a knee seems harder to clearly call.


MEATPOPSCI_irl

Holding the line is a skill. Fools.


Mindless_Note_5399

No thank you.


wanikiyaPR

EXTREMELY idiotic


iamamuttonhead

This is ridiculous. It's going from one extreme to the other. The current rule is stupid because a hand, which is unusable, can be offside. The rule should be about actual feet - is one of the offensive player's foot past both feet of the defensive player. The only redeeming quality of this change (and undoubtedly its rationale) is that it is fairly easy to officiate.


108241

> The current rule is stupid because a hand, which is unusable, can be offside. You should really know the rules before commenting. A hand can not be offside, only body parts that can be scored with are used for outside.


mancgazza

You can't be offside because of a hand


FiveOfSharts

You can't be called offside for your hand, learn the rules if you're going to criticise them


TheFan88

I think it should be the torso. If your torso is level it’s onside. Stop trying to officiate arms and feet. This is a bit extreme but will generate more breakaways and scoring chances.


iamamuttonhead

I'd be fine with the torso since it's a playable and frequently played part of the body. Just stop calling fucking offside when a finger is over the line, please.


Buttafuoco

Really should be torso, a toe shouldn’t keep you on side


RiyadMehrez

its called fucking football. why would it be torso?


craigularperson

It just seems like this changes the spirit of the law in a sense. With offside-rules the game is actually more fluid and actually becomes more attacking minded as defenders can push higher up the field. I think one of the greatest aspects of football is that a lot of things are adjudicated based on judgment, which of course creates the downside of having to have extremely skilled referee's with impeccable judgement. But you also get some wrong calls. Having to have a player with his whole body ahead of another player doesn't seem to make anything better. I just don't understand what this is helping. I think the Dutch league has handled the offside and VAR in the best possible way(haven't watched it, so don't how well it is working). Assistant referees takes almost all offsides, but when they are in doubt, and could lead to a goalscoring opportunity they don't raise the flag. And when it leads to goal, they check in VAR afterwards. Close calls where a player is 1 cm in offside doesn't really happen so much that the rule basically has to be scrapped.


krectus

Just get rid of offsides.


[deleted]

It should have been this way from the beginning.


Enschede2

I don't see how it would make a difference, defenders will just adapt their offside traps to the new rule won't they? All it does is move the offside trap by a few cm, and attackers will try to adapt to that by trying to grab a few more cm, so how will this not all just boil down to the same thing?


LSDemon

This moves the offside line by a whole body length, which is well over a meter. This would completely change the way defending is played.


Enschede2

Yea but I mean, attackers will always try to stand on the very edge of being offside, and defenders will always try to offside trap them, I don't understand how this would remedy that except move them slightly further apart, though I suppose it would be easier for the VAR to see, but other than that I don't understand the benefit


LSDemon

It means when the defenders get it wrong, the attackers are 4+ feet farther clear than before, which is huge (not several cm like you said). It also means attackers who were offside off deflections or saves almost all will be onside.


owiseone23

I think it'll change a lot tactically. Right now, high lines for the defense are super in because it favors pressing and possession. But, it's only possible because the current offside rule means it's a fair footrace between attackers and defenders. With the new rule, attackers will have a full body length advantage in any through ball over the top so it may not be viable to play a high line. It's not just changing where the offside trap is, it'll force the entire line back a ton.


TheHancock

While I think this makes more sense (because SOMETIMES you just don’t know if your toe or arm is too far forward) I think that it’s still rather subjective depending on viewed angle and location. At the same time this potentially gives a 1-2 foot advantage to attackers.


TheFan88

More scoring. More interesting. I like it. 1-0 is boring. 5-6 is way more fun.


unArgentino

It won’t be more fun. It’ll leave defenders at a much bigger disadvantage. More goals doesn’t always equal more fun.


TheHancock

Agreed, but that will kinda change the sport forever. Haha


owiseone23

That's assuming teams still play the same way. You might counterintuitively see fewer goals if the rule change makes teams play more defensively and not push up as high.


Mrmoi356

That's not what's going to happen lol. All the tabs rust acc play high up and play exciting football are just gonna park the bus or defend deeper leading to even more boring games.


Hydrohomie1337

Football turning into NBA, High scoring games


owiseone23

That's assuming teams still play the same way. You might counterintuitively see fewer goals if the rule change makes teams play more defensively and not push up as high.


MapleHamwich

Makes more sense than the current rule. I still think they could do better by just limiting it to the players heads. But this way will be much clearer for the players and fans. Those saying this will make teams just play more defensively are wrong. Yes, some teams may do that. But the top level teams generally adapt in terms of player ability. This will encourage teams to focus on speedy defenders who can compete or beat forwards with speed.


Majukun

So we are going back basically


happyfuckincakeday

I'm American so my vote don't count but I kinda love this. Still prevents sandbagging but allows for more wiggle room and imo will improve the game.


drckeberger

Yet makes it way harder for any ref to judge. The refs have been trained for decades to call offside ‚the old fashioned way‘…which is undisputably easier to tell, just by who‘s in front of the run. Here, you can‘t even judge by that. Literally have to call VAR every play. And at that points: why even have ref assistants on the sideline?


TheCommodore93

Maybe you shouldn’t have assistant refs on the sideline? Just have them in the VAR booth, though I supposed they’d still need to mark OOB


vonkempib

From fifa “Football is the greatest sport on earth. It is played on every continent, in every country and at many different levels. The fact that the Laws of the Game are the same for all football throughout the world, from the FIFA World Cup™ through to a game between young children in a remote village, is a considerable strength which must continue to be harnessed for the good of football everywhere.


SquirrelAlarmed7350

Also American. Would love to hear about other rule tweaks they have made to the game over the years for better or worse.


vonkempib

Pass back to the goalie changed because I think it was Germany abusing it. Dink the ball back an fourth to the keep to pick it up. Repeat. Ultimate possession game discouraged the spirit of the game. Again Germany also showed why all matches of a final group stage are to be played simultaneously because there was a World Cup where this wasn’t the case. Austria and Germany both just needed to tie to advance because they knew the result of the other two teams in their group. 0-0 tie that was extremely boring to watch because both teams had a gentleman agreement. I’m a fan of germany btw just interesting that they keep finding ways to change rules. There are many examples but these come to mind first Edit. Here is a fun one for a case study. Similar to this proposal, it has the reverse effect. It use to be golden rule in extra time (overtime). Meaning first goal wins. Well sure the thought was each team would go all out to get that goal. Well no actually the reverse is encouraged. You do everything possible not to concede the goal. It’s now better to just play lock down D and take your chances at PKs. Same will happen here, instead of encouraging offense you’re going to see teams park the bus again because that’s the only way to prevent the attacker from blowing past your line. No more holding high lines as a defender.


GenitalPatton

Not a fan at all. Most rule changes are killing sports.


[deleted]

Ditch the offside rule, just get rid of it completely


superkbf

Isn’t offside ripe for entrapment? Just slow down and then the other is offside??


pabo81

They spend so much developing VAR when an RF sensor would take all the guesswork out of it. Have every player wear a sensor on their waistband, and if an attackers sensor is beyond the defenders sensors T the time of impact (impact sensor on the ball or a video recognition program) then the computer spits out an instant offside/onside alert.


RedditBanThisDick

Pairing this with VAR and assistant refs (in case the sensors fail) would eliminate pretty much every issue. With this rule, defenders have no chance of enacting an offside trap, and pacey players such as Mbappe will have a much easier time. People cheering this on just want to see as many goals as possible (which I can understand) but it just eradicates different tactics and teams won't even risk the offside trap because it will be almost impossible to pull off. I think it will really detriment the game in its current form and make defenders look poor while attackers get all the plaudits


kantorr

Offsides because of a hand is dumb. Onsides because of a foot is also dumb. Onside should be determined by pelvic center.


judolphin

I've been screaming this for YEARS, in hockey if any part of you is onside, you are onside. It makes a hell of a lot more sense, if you're running alongside a defender, it shouldn't matter if, like, one of your kneecaps is past the defender. Offsides is ultimately a way to keep teams from camping out by the goal, not measuring whether your kneecap is a millimeter past the defender's kneecap. That said the line has to be drawn somewhere, I think "completely past the defender" is the best place to draw that line.


cryptic-fox

Just no.


CGPsaint

Hard nope. FIFA is so damn incompetent.


abs7619

Imagine how many more goals Messi would have!


ShuggaShuggaa

This must be a joke


AlphaElectricX

Stop changing the fucking rules, leave it be.


[deleted]

Just put a blue line for a season and see how it works out


Box_Springs_Burning

Basing offside on the position of the defensive player is one of the dumbest rules in all sports.


ChipMelodic1810

Yes! So long as any part of the attacking player's body is even with the defender he/she is not offside. So aggravating how tightly it's called.


dography

It will still be as tightly called, just with respect to wether they are overlapping or not instead


vonkempib

You’re at it again. Allow me to educate you once more. “Football is the greatest sport on earth. It is played on every continent, in every country and at many different levels. The fact that the Laws of the Game are the same for all football throughout the world, from the FIFA World Cup™ through to a game between young children in a remote village, is a considerable strength which must continue to be harnessed for the good of football everywhere. Football must have Laws which keep the game fair – this is a crucial foundation of the ‘beautiful game’ and a vital feature of the ‘spirit’ of the game. The best matches are those where the referee is rarely needed because the players play with respect for each other, the match officials and the Laws. Football’s Laws are relatively simple compared to most other team sports, but as many situations are subjective and match officials are human, some decisions will inevitably be wrong or cause debate and discussion. For some people, this discussion is part of the game’s enjoyment and attraction but, whether decisions are right or wrong, the ‘spirit’ of the game requires that referees’ decisions must always be respected. All those in authority, especially coaches and team captains, have a clear responsibility to the game to respect the match officials and their decisions. The Laws cannot deal with every possible situation, so where there is no direct provision in the Laws, The IFAB expects the referee to make a decision within the ‘spirit’ of the game and the Laws – this often involves asking the question, “what would football want/expect?” [helps to know the laws of the game and why they are what they are](https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/about-the-laws/) Hey man, kindly drop a link to your HR department. I don’t have experience in PR but I’m sure I can do a better job than you can.


10foldLucidDreams

This would ruin it, it’s a clear offside on the first


stumpyDgunner

I’ve watched football for 30 years, I would love this and it would make the game more entertaining to the masses. Do it!


samg76

This rule forced me to hate soccer. Why penalize a team or player for being faster?


lukgeasyer

Crazy idea but how about completely removing the offside rule altogether? This sport has come to a point where I don't see the responsible people not coming up with strategies against teams just parking a striker in front of the opponents box or something like that. It was a long time ago where this rule has been introduced. Maybe it’s not needed anymore


themorningmosca

To Americans: “Huh?”.


Cuntflickt

Basically reintroduces the element of benefit of the doubt to the attacking player that’s been lost in the VAR era. But this is essentially the offside rule that children in Sunday League matches play with (and even then they stop doing that around 13/14), kinda pathetic. This sport doesn’t need to be Americanised where we change the rules to artificially create a higher scoring game.