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RSS FeedSoccer: Should the offside rule be scrapped?
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| Yes | 31% | 57 votes | Total: 184 votes | |
| No | 69% | 127 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesThere's probably no other aspect of soccer's rules that causes more controversy, amongst managers, players, fans, and the media, than the offside rule. In assessing whether it should be retained or scrapped it's worth starting by defining what the offside rule is.
Okay, let's take a slight step back in time and start by looking at what the offside rule used to be. It used to be relatively straightforward. If the forward player was beyond the last opposition defender (not including the goalkeeper) when the ball was passed forward, then he was offside . unless, that is, he was still in his own half. Players and managers and fans knew what this rule was and most of the time the difficulty was just in the ability of the officials to judge whether a player was ahead of the last defender.
FIFA, the governing body of Association Football, however in their wisdom decided that it would be good to complicate things. To be fair, they did so with the aim or making it easier for attacking teams to score. Their thinking was that more goals means more entertainment. What they did was say that you were not offside if you were not interfering with play'. The problem with this is that it's quite subjective. How do you define if a player is interfering with play?! And players have of course been quick to exploit this by taking a starting position that could be classed as offside but not interfering' and then reacting when the ball subsequently comes their way to score.
The main thing that this new rule has done is create confusion and animosity towards referees who are only trying to apply a rule that has been forced on them.
Personally, I would like to see one of two things happen. Either go back to the pure interpretation of the rule where if you're offside you're offside and it doesn't matter if you're interfering or not! Or, alternatively, do what field hockey has done and scrap the offside rule entirely. I must admit that the first time I played hockey after the new rule I found it odd that I could creep beyond the last defender without the referee blowing his whistle but I soon got used to it and found that it works really well. All that happens is that the last defender has to drop a little deeper if the main forward chooses to goal hang. This can help also to stop the play from being condensed into the middle third of the pitch.
This centre field condensing of play is a big problem in soccer, I feel, and plays a large role in the scrappiness of some matches. Anything that can stretch play and create more space for the attacking players would be to the advantage of the game. For this reason, and to make the game easier for everything to understand, I would support the scrapping of the offside rule in soccer. Now, with that sorted, what about that confusing handball rule?!
Learn more about this author, Simon Wright.
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No
There are certain rules and laws in sports that help to maintain the spirit and uniqueness of a game. Could you imagine FIFA allowing soccer (football) players to use their hands? The offside law is not in the same category as the handball infringement, but it is fundamental to the way the game is played.
The offside law is so crucial to the game that it is one of only 17 laws of association football. Although the offside law may be difficult to implement and seem unnecessarily complicated, FIFA and the IFAB should not scrap it.
The intention of the offside law in soccer is to allow teams to play an attractive brand of football. It prevents players from loitering near to the opponent's penalty goal line and scoring opportunistic goals. This is known as 'cherry picking'. Removing the offside law would encourage this practice- one that is inimical to attractive passing that makes soccer 'the beautiful game'.
It is important to note that the offside law did not always exist in association football. Football authorities formulated the law in response to tactics used to employ to score easy goals. The offside law is simply there to ensure that teams play football in the manner in which it was intended. Scrapping the offside law would be a retrograde move- literally taking the game back to the 19th century!
The idea of scrapping the offside law demands a different skill-set from players as well. The game would likely bypass the midfield. Instead of developing well-rounded footballers who can use the short-pass and dribble effectively, the focus would be on passing and receiving long balls. Diminutive players may suffer as larger, more robust defenders and attackers dominate. The skill-set of football players would that of volleyball players who use everything else but their hands. There might even be a name change from football to 'footey ball'!
Football's tactics and strategies may also be rather limited. A counter-attacking strategy may be non-existent because attackers are loitering near their opponents' goal line and defenders will mark them. The game would be spread far and wide, allowing too much room in the midfield to facilitate short passes. This removes an important dimension of the game. Without the offside law, there will not likely be a 'defence-splitting pass' or superb through-ball either.
An important tactic that will be eliminated if the IFAB and FIFA scrap the offside law is the offside trap. The offside trap is a strategy that adds great excitement to a game. Defenders attempt to play opposing players 'offside' by pushing up together at the moment the ball is played for the attackers. This strategy is risky. If it works, it results in a breakdown in attacking play. However, it adds excitement to the game because the trap sometimes fails and defenders are caught out of position.
The offside law has sufficient provisions in it to encourage attacking play. Officials cannot call an attacker for an offside infringement on certain plays, namely goal kicks, corner kicks and throw-ins. Also, if an attacker receives the ball directly from a deliberate play by a defender or is in his own half of the field, an offside offence cannot be committed. Those who hate the rule must acknowledge that it is not always in effect.
FIFA and the IFAB are not inclined to scrap the offside law and they should not be. There is a good argument for modifying the offside law, however. Enforcing the offside law is quite difficult and imprecise and even top-class assistant referees make errors. For instance, an assistant referee has to judge an offside offence in a blur of motion. A defender and attacker can be two yards apart in a small fraction of a second! It does not help that there are other nuances in the law that create controversy from time to time either.
You do not need to imagine what the game of football (soccer) would be like if the offside law were scrapped. Football was played without the offside law before it was wisely introduced. While the game's authorities could modify and improve it, the offside law needs to be retained- not scrapped.
Learn more about this author, Darrell Victor.
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