By Andrew Warshaw
October 26 – Football’s lawmakers will be asked next year to consider changing the offside law to make it simpler for players and fans alike.
As reported on insideworldfootball yesterday, Franz Beckenbauer and other members of the so-called FIFA Task Force 2014 met to discuss improving various areas of the game to make it more entertaining – with offside at the top of the list.
Beckenbauer, chair of the Task Force – set up after the World Cup in South Africa, which was marred by negative tactics and histrionics – said the current active and passive offside rule was far too complicated.
“In my time it was very simple, offside was offside, it didn’t matter where the ball was,” said Beckenbauer after the meeting in Zurich.
“It’s a nonsense [now], it’s too complicated.
“We should go back and make it more simple, we have to find the right wording and that goes for the penalties as well.
“It will improve the flow of the game.
“We have a situation with active and passive offside at the moment, I think we should stay away from complicated expressions, we should go back to making it more simple, not like it was at the beginning but somewhere in between.”
Changes to the current law are set to be submitted to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the game’s lawmakers, in London next March.
Beckenbauer (pictured) and his team also want to do away with the so-called “triple punishment” of red card, penalty and suspension, especially when the foul is minor.
“If it’s a simple foul in the penalty area, where you try to get the ball but are a second late, a penalty and yellow card are enough,” he said.
“If it’s a violent foul, which would have been a red card anywhere on the field, then in this case it’s a penalty and a red card.”
Task Force 2014 includes a raft of preeminent former players but for the second time running, Pelé was conspicuous by his absence.
FIFA said it was due to “other commitments”, including his role of special advisor to the Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, on 2014 FIFA World Cup matters.
Yet today, 24-hours after the Task Force meeting, the Brazilian legend was in London promoting a range of fashion, raising immediate questions over his commitment to the influential footballing body.
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