Arsene Wenger is advocating for a significant alteration to football`s offside rule, a change he suggests could pose challenges for defensive strategies.
The 75-year-old Wenger shared his views while working as a pundit for beIN Sports, covering the exciting 4-3 Champions League semi-final match between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
Simone Inzaghi`s team has reached the Champions League final for the second time in three years, following their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in 2023.
Inter secured their spot in the final courtesy of a Davide Frattesi winner in extra time. They had earlier lost a two-goal advantage provided by goals from Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu.
Barcelona drew level with goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo, and Raphinha`s 87th-minute goal forced extra time. However, Frattesi scored the crucial goal to send Inter through.
During his appearance on beIN Sports, Wenger, currently FIFA`s Chief of Global Football Development, provided an update regarding potential changes to the offside rule.
He suggested that the rule is likely to be reviewed, especially following years of debate and issues since the introduction of VAR.
The former Arsenal boss feels that VAR has removed the slight “advantage” attackers previously had, which he believes contributes to fewer goals being scored.
Wenger explained: “The decision taken in 1990, after the World Cup in Italy, stated that a player was not offside if they were level with the defender.
“Before that change, if you were simply level with the defence, you were considered offside, which led to very few goals being scored.”
“So, in 1990, we changed it so being level was not offside. The rule also stated that if there was any doubt, it should favour the attacking player.
“This meant that even a fractional lead for the attacker, as we sometimes see now, would benefit the striker. However, with VAR, this historical advantage is lost.”
“I believe they counted 37 goals ruled out in England due to very tight, marginal offside calls, which is frustrating.
“Therefore, I have proposed that a player should only be offside if their *entire* body is ahead of the defender. As long as any part of the attacker is level with or behind the defender, they would be onside.
“We are seeing the effects of the current rule now. IFAB [International Football Association Board] will make a decision on this proposed change within the next year.”
However, Wenger`s suggested change has received criticism on social media. One commenter argued it would be “impossible to defend against,” provide attackers with an “unfair advantage,” and lead to teams playing with a deep defensive line rather than pushing up.
Another user predicted: “Expect teams to stop using a high defensive line if this rule is implemented.”
A third person commented that “What he is proposing would have a wider impact… the entertainment level of matches would decrease because most teams would resort to low defensive blocks.”
Conversely, a few fans supported Wenger`s view, with one stating, “Arsene knows,” and another commenting, “Listen to him, this man understands football.”
Another supportive comment simply read: “Very good, Mr Wenger.”
