If you could change one rule in football, what would it be?

a lot of the ones already said

all cup tournaments to be straight knock-outs, none of this group-phrase crap

champions cup, uefa cup, cw cup competitions back as were

refs to enforce the obstruction rule

also

extra time to be taken out of the hands of refs

use of video by fourth official to review/inform refs

limit the number of foreign players

set a quota for home-grown players

reduce the size of squads

introduce a version of ffp that works

punish players retrospectively for simulation and dangerous play

The handshakes should be replaced with scissor paper stones, winning side gets to kick off both halfs

Originally Posted by borsuk

a lot of the ones already said

all cup tournaments to be straight knock-outs, none of this group-phrase crap

champions cup, uefa cup, cw cup competitions back as were

refs to enforce the obstruction rule

also

extra time to be taken out of the hands of refs

use of video by fourth official to review/inform refs

limit the number of foreign players

set a quota for home-grown players

reduce the size of squads

introduce a version of ffp that works

punish players retrospectively for simulation and dangerous play

go and watch international competition



use of video technology wherever possible

My serious suggestion is goal-line technology. A ball being over a line is an absolute - it's either over or it's not - so some sort of system on the goal line that sends a beep to the ref's ear when the ball crosses the line would be perfect. The same signal could be sent to the fourth official/tv station/rawk/spirit of shankly to rule out cheating by corrupt referees in the pay of SAF.

Video technology for fouls etc. wouldn't really work because people still argue about incidents even after a hundred replays. I picture 70,000 people sat waiting whilst Jamie Redknapp says 'there....there's the contact...'.

Originally Posted by Zorg

My serious suggestion is goal-line technology. A ball being over a line is an absolute - it's either over or it's not - so some sort of system on the goal line that sends a beep to the ref's ear when the ball crosses the line would be perfect. The same signal could be sent to the fourth official/tv station/rawk/spirit of shankly to rule out cheating by corrupt referees in the pay of SAF.

Video technology for fouls etc. wouldn't really work because people still argue about incidents even after a hundred replays. I picture 70,000 people sat waiting whilst Jamie Redknapp says 'there....there's the contact...'.

Andy@Allerton will commit suicide the day that happens.

No corruption by United you say?

Originally Posted by Grimson

My serious suggestion is to do away with the away goals rule in international competition.

No what pissed me off is away goals in extra time of a two legged match. Why should one team get 90 minutes to score an away goal while the other team gets 120 mins. Load of shite. Basically if the away team scores in extra time its game set and match because the home side then needs two in a very short space of time.

Originally Posted by borsuk

a lot of the ones already said

all cup tournaments to be straight knock-outs, none of this group-phrase crap

champions cup, uefa cup, cw cup competitions back as were

refs to enforce the obstruction rule

also

extra time to be taken out of the hands of refs

use of video by fourth official to review/inform refs

limit the number of foreign players

set a quota for home-grown players

reduce the size of squads

introduce a version of ffp that works

punish players retrospectively for simulation and dangerous play

I agree with a lot of that. Ultimately I would like to see European Club football back to the stage where teams like Ajax, Porto, Dortmund, Kiev are genuine contenders instead of glorified feeder teams for the Spanish and English leagues. I do not think going back to the old competition format is the way though, perhaps top 2 in any given league as a maximum, add in a foreigner quota and a more even playing field might take shape.

Perhaps it is just me looking back with tinted glasses but as an era the mid to late 90's stands out for me as a golden age in European football, the great players were not stockpiled to the same extent, and the overall competition was stronger for it.

a requirement for supporter ownership would be nice


and before jumping on this as pie-in-the-sky %@#$&!s consider that the bundesliga has had for many years a rule which requires 51% of every club to be owned by the supporters. if the will is there it can be done. similarly with rules regarding debt in germany.

Originally Posted by borsuk

a requirement for supporter ownership would be nice


and before jumping on this as pie-in-the-sky %@#$&!s consider that the bundesliga has had for many years a rule which requires 51% of every club to be owned by the supporters. if the will is there it can be done. similarly with rules regarding debt in germany.

Not pie in the sky at all and a laudable ambition.

Never happen though.

Originally Posted by jem

they're laws.

no guarding the ball unless you have established possession by contact. it's £#%&!ing obstruction.

This.

Anybody caught shepherding out the ball should be shepherded off by his balls.

I would employ actual shepherds to do this.

Any questioning a ref's decision (other than from the captain, in a calm and polite fashion) and the free kick should be moved back ten meters. Like rugby. Take the lippiness out of the game at all levels.

Originally Posted by reem

This.

Anybody caught shepherding out the ball should be shepherded off by his balls.

I would employ actual shepherds to do this.

german shepherds. das bundesliga wins again

Originally Posted by BarryX

Any questioning a ref's decision (other than from the captain, in a calm and polite fashion) and the free kick should be moved back ten meters. Like rugby. Take the lippiness out of the game at all levels.

They tried that for a bit didn't they? Or am I imagining that?

That temporary spray for the 10 yards from a free kick that they use/used in South America should be given a go. I hate creeping walls.

Originally Posted by dunk

They tried that for a bit didn't they? Or am I imagining that?

That temporary spray for the 10 yards from a free kick that they use/used in South America should be given a go. I hate creeping walls.

Are you thinking of that rule where they moved the wall a further ten feet back if the defenders encroached?

What happened to that?

Originally Posted by reem

Are you thinking of that rule where they moved the wall a further ten feet back if the defenders encroached?

What happened to that?

Nah, the 10 yards thing was for dissent, if a FK was given and the defending team whinged too much it was moved forward 10 yards. It didn't always benefit the attacking team though tbf, sometimes you ended up too close to have a decent effort. No idea what happened to it, it just stopped happening.

The European Cup was rubbish in the old format, hence why they changed the format in the first place. It could work as one huge knock-out competition similar to the FA Cup I suppose, but why bother?

And if you had just champions in a knock-out format these days it would be shown up by the uefa cup almost every single season - the uefa cup would be wall-to-wall on TV and dripping in cash, while Man City played Lech Poznan or some other shite in the EC q/f 2nd leg.


The notion of 4th officials watching video replays of decisions is a joke, mostly suggested by people making money out of TV football and picked up mostly by armchair fans. TV does not show the full picture, simple as that. Even on that Newcastle goal the other day they didn't have a camera in quite the right place to show 100% whether or not the ball was over the line. Yes it would catch out the likes of the Zidane headbutt, but would you really want every single decision in a match like that - or any match - scrutinised by a TV ref? Of course not - especially if you've paid £40 to actually get off your arse and be at the game. Yes study a video after the game and impose retrospective sanctions for violent play, but other than that leave it well alone.

A related rule I'd like added would be to kill anyone who compares football decision-making with rugby refs or £#%&!ing hawkeye - £#%&! off you @#%&!s.


This obstruction one is mostly touted by people who don't actually understand the obstruction rule - you don't have to touch the ball to put yourself between it and an opponent. The problem is that referees don't punish a second movement by the player 'guarding' the ball, not the guarding itself.

Did I imagine it, or didn't they say a few years back that players would get an instant yellow if they touch the ball after the referee awards a free-kick to the opposition, to stop that thing where they walk away carrying the ball?

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

The European Cup was rubbish in the old format, hence why they changed the format in the first place.

yes, they changed it to improve its quality as a sporting event. the gargantuan increase in cash was an unexpected side effect.

If a player gets sent off against your team, he should not be suspended for the next match, he should be suspended against your team the next time you play them, suspension carrying over regardless of club the player currently plays for. So it's a 3 game ban, he misses the next 3 games against you.

Playoffs. Give some tangible reward for league position. The team who finishes highest in the league should

a) be able to select the opponent from the other 3 play off qualifying teams who they'd like to play

b) if any play off game finishes as a draw, no extra time, no pelanties, the team who finished higher in the league wins the game, placing the onus on the team who finished lower to have to win the game outright to go through/gain promotion.

Originally Posted by DuanePipe

If a player gets sent off against your team, he should not be suspended for the next match, he should be suspended against your team the next time you play them, suspension carrying over regardless of club the player currently plays for. So it's a 3 game ban, he misses the next 3 games against you.

What if either team goes up or down?