The Wenger offside law, named after the illustrious Arsenal coach between 1996 and 2018, is being tested in Canada since April 4th, at the start of the new season. On Saturday, a goal was scored thanks to this innovation by Alejandro Diaz of Pacific FC.
Could this be a revolution in world football? Since April 4th, FIFA has been experimenting, under the guidance of Arsène Wenger, its head of global football development, with the new offside rule, also known as the “Wenger Law”, named after the illustrious Arsenal coach between 1996 and 2018. Under this new rule, an attacking player is considered offside only if a complete space is visible between him and the last defender. In other words, for example, if a forward is ahead of an opponent by a leg or a large part of the body, he is not considered to be in an offside position. This new law clearly benefits attackers.
At the end of March, FIFA confirmed that the Canadian Premier League (CPL) would be the testing ground for this new law with the approval of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) which governs the rules of football. It may eventually be applied to other leagues, especially in Europe.
Verdict in the coming months
Launched on April 4th on Canadian fields at the start of the new season, the Wenger Law was applied and verified on Saturday during the match between Wanderers and Pacific FC, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Five minutes after the quarter of an hour mark, Alejandro Diaz opened the scoring for Pacific FC. He was able to score this first goal thanks to the Wenger Law. After his initial shot was saved by the opposing goalkeeper, the forward, in a very advanced position at 5.50 meters, scored the goal. This goal was deemed valid as Diaz had a part of his foot in line with the last defender. The first results of this experimentation are expected in several months.
