Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants to replace throw-ins with ‘kick-ins’ as he plans to radically freshen up the game in his new role at FIFA
Arsene Wenger is hoping to lead a revolution in football by radically altering the throw-in rule to allow players to kick the ball back into play.
The former Arsenal manager now works at FIFA after becoming Chief Head of Global Football Development last year, a role which helps along the process of rule and law changes in the game of football.
The 70-year-old’s plans also look towards altering offsides which he hopes can lead to benefit attacking players.
In his role at FIFA Arsene Wenger hopes to radically change football to benefit attacking teams
‘For the moment, you are offside if a part of your body that you can score with sits ahead of the body of a defender,’ Wenger said.
‘I would like it to be that there is no offside so long as a (single) body part which a player can score with is in line with the defender.
‘This could be too much of an advantage for an attacker, because that obliges the defenders to play higher up.’
Wenger is also looking to alter set-pieces, including touch-free kicks and allowing outswinging corners to go out of play behind the goal before coming back onto the field.
‘We are also considering other things: a corner that goes out of play and comes back in could be made valid, this would create new goal scoring opportunities,’ Wenger added.
‘There is also the option of quickly playing a free-kick to yourself.’
It is the throw-in rule which will most likely raise eyebrows though, with the legendary Gunners boss, who guided the north London side to an unbeaten Premier League campaign in 2004, citing a disadvantage to the attacking team late in the game as a reason for introducing kick-ins.
‘I would also like to change the throw-in rule: five minutes before the end, a throw-in for you should be an advantage, but in these situations you are facing ten outfield players in play, whilst you only have nine,’ Wenger said.
‘Stats show that in eight out of ten of those throw-in situations, you lose the ball.
‘In your half of the pitch, you should have the possibility to take a kick instead.’
