FIFA To Test New Changes To Offside Rules After Arsene Wenger’s Proposals

• FIFA is set to put to test new rules that could see a massive change in how offside calls are made
• Arsene Wenger has been leading the onslaught of seeing the rules changed
• FIFA is now set to trial Wenger’s proposals before making a decision on its subsequent adoption or rejection

Arsene Wenger’s calls for a change to the offside rules are seemingly set to bear fruit with the world governing body for football, FIFA, set to trial the new proposals.

Wenger has been vocal in his calls for the offside rules to be changed. The former Arsenal  manager has served as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development since he left the Gunners in 2018.

Under the current dispensation, a player is often deemed offside when any part of his body that can play the ball is ahead of the last defender. This has often led to lengthy Video Assistant Referee(VAR) checks, with goals being ruled out due to the tightest of margins.

The legendary former manager wants the whole body of a player, not just a part, to be ahead of the last defender for it to be deemed as offside.

FIFA is now set to heed to Wenger’s proposals, with Sweden becoming the first league to put the proposed changes to use. The country’s men’s U-21 and women’s U-19 leagues will use the new rules before it moves to other leagues in the Netherlands and in Italy.

After the trial, FIFA will sit down to discuss its impact and possible adoption before it is forwarded to the International Football Association Board(IFAB) which approves any permanent rules of the game.

Inside the changes to Ballon d’Or rules

The 2023 Ballon d’Or debate has already shaped into a battle between an existing superstar and one of his heir apparent.

At 35 years old, Lionel Messi is still in the running to win the individual prize and remains a strong candidate to win a record-extending eighth title, but Erling Haaland is set to have a say as well.

L’Equipe, the magazine responsible for organising the annual gala where the best individual performances are feted, announced changes to the Balon d’Or rules in 2021, shortly after Messi  had clinched his 7th gong.