FIFA mulls scrapping offside and yellow cards

PanARMENIAN.Net - FIFA technical director Marco van Basten has floated a radical blueprint for the future of football which would see offside abolished and sin-bins introduced, Sky Sports reports.

The former World Player of the Year was employed by FIFA in September to oversee all technical areas ranging from innovations in technology to refereeing.

And the Dutchman's long-term vision for the game includes scrapping some of its most established rules.

"We must keep looking for ways to improve the game," Van Basten said in an interview with Sport Bild.

"To make it more honest, more dynamic, more interesting, so that what we offer is attractive enough.

"There are lots of variations which need to be tested in the coming years."

Van Basten says abolishing the offside rule would mean an end to games which "resemble handball where nine players, plus the goalkeeper, pack the penalty area and [the defence] is like a wall".

He argues sin-binning players would prove a greater deterrent than the yellow card system.

"That would frighten teams," he said. "It is hard to play 10 against 11, let alone with eight or nine."

Among Van Basten's other ideas is one to replace extra-time and penalties with ice hockey-style shootouts involving players dribbling towards the goalkeeper from "25 metres out".

The 52-year-old also suggested clamping down on time-wasting, stopping any player but the captain from speaking to officials and cutting the number of games in a year.