ARMPIT offsides will become a thing of the past next season — after football’s law-makers gave the thumbs-up to Prem plans for thicker VAR lines.
But the good news for embattled refs’ chief Mike Riley came with a kick in the teeth as he was ordered to change his policy on pitchside monitors.
Thicker lines will be introduced for offside rules next season
And Fifa president Gianni Infantino also stuck the boot in as he said: “England is the only league in the world where this seems to be a big issue.”
Under the Prem plan, revealed by SunSport last month, 3D pixel technology will still be used to determine the positions of attacking and defending players.
But the defensive “blue” line will be widened to cover 10cm of real space, with players ruled onside if the red “attacking” line is contained in the expanded zone.
Riley told clubs last month that it would have meant nine of the 25 goals ruled out for VAR offsides before the mid-season break this campaign being awarded.
Premier League bosses required approval from the International FA Board to bring in the change.
And speaking after IFAB’s annual general meeting in Belfast, Fifa’s two leading referee officials, former Prem whistler David Elleray and Italian Pierluigi Collina, confirmed English football’s top division is free to adopt the new approach.
Elleray said: “Assistant referees were always told to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacking team.
“But VAR has taken that doubt away.
“You’ll always have the question of where you draw the line.
“But football doesn’t think your toe being 2cm in front of a defender is a significant enough advantage to be penalised.
“It’s not questioning whether you can see it, but asking if it’s right.
“VAR has moved offside more in favour of the defender than the attacker.
“The game is telling us that was wrong and that it doesn’t want a goal disallowed for a nose offside.
“It is up to each competition, including the Premier League, to decide what it wants to do.
“The obsession over 1cm or so won’t change. But there is nothing in the IFAB protocols about the width of the lines. That’s down to leagues.”
Next season’s change is likely to be a short-term fix.
Infantino made clear he backs new Fifa global football development chief Arsene Wenger’s shake-up — also revealed by SunSport.
The former Arsenal boss wants to change the law so that a player is onside if any legitimate goalscoring part of his body is level, or behind, the last defender.
Refs’ chief Mike Riley has been urged to change his stance on pitchside monitors
And Infantino explained: “The philosophy of fostering attacking football has to guide us.
“Arsene’s idea was received very positively. The offside rule has evolved and we now feel we have to look into whether we can do something.”
But while Riley’s offside idea was backed, Elleray made clear that this season’s stance on pitchside monitors, only used on a handful of occasions for potential red-card offences, MUST change.
He said: “We surveyed 6,000 matches from the top competitions and the average was 75 per cent of reviews are pitchside monitors.
“Any competition significantly outside that is clearly out of step.
“You cannot make a major adjustment in a season without compromising the integrity of that competition.
“But you should expect there will be changes next year. I would be astonished if not.”
Collina added: “The average is 75 per cent. So if we have a country with 65 per cent, 60 per cent, even 52 per cent, that’s not a problem. But if it’s zero, that’s a problem.”
Infantino also pointed out: “We all need to relax a bit on this topic.
“There is only one league in the world where this issue seems to be a big problem — the Premier League.
“VAR is not perfect but it’s pretty good, 99 per cent right.
“More on-field reviews, pitchside reviews, will make it easier. Once this is done it will be okay.”
IFAB also ruled that players will be able to use their shoulders to score goals next season, with the arm only ‘beginning’ at armpit level.
And the lawmakers agreed to hold trials on extra substitutes for players feared to have been concussed, likely to start with the Olympic football tournaments at Tokyo 2020.
Arsene Wenger to launch major overhaul of offside law in bid to end VAR madness
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
