Reinventing Football - Five Things Fans Would Change

After asking players, pundits and referees what changes they would make to reinvent football, we opened nan statement up to you.

We opened nan level for fans to ideate a world successful which they could rip up nan rulebook and commencement again.

The taxable stirred up plentifulness of statement crossed our live page and societal media and we received thousands of messages from our audience, suggesting nan 1 point they would change.

Here are nan apical 5 talking points, followed by nan appraisal of erstwhile Premier League referee Chris Foy and BBC Sport's shot issues analogous Dale Johnson.

The offside norm was a widely-debated topic, pinch fans wanting to either tweak nan law, aliases get free of it completely. Former Premier League referee Anthony Taylor said "scrapping offside mightiness beryllium nan answer" and added: "One of nan champion tournaments I refereed successful was a situation serviceman tourney and we had nary offside... and we had truthful galore goals it was unbelievable."

Another vexation for supporters is astir 'delaying nan flag' - wherever officials are told to support their emblem down if they felt location was an contiguous goalscoring opportunity.

What nan fans said:

Matt: Scrap nan offside emblem going up 20 minutes aft personification is offside. Needlessly wasting clip and play continuing could consequence successful injuries. Just propulsion nan emblem up erstwhile they're off.

Sal: I would alteration nan offside rule, wherever location has to beryllium "daylight" betwixt nan past defender and attacker, successful bid for a declare of offside to beryllium legitimate.

Charlie: I would region offside completely. Hockey successfully removed offside galore years agone and I deliberation it would spot much goals which is what fans want to see.

Chris: I would for illustration nan offside rule changed, truthful you tin only beryllium offside beyond nan 18-yard line. This would dispersed retired nan play.

What Chris Foy said: "Assistant refereeing is an creation shape and they are encouraged to support nan emblem down successful clear attacking situations. But I do understand that sometimes it tin beryllium frustrating.

"With semi-automated technology, I judge we person an meticulous judgement of offside."

What Dale Johnson said: "'Daylight offside' has been a taxable of chat ever since it was suggested by Arsene Wenger successful 2020.

It has not made it to afloat tests because location are superior doubts astir its effect connected nan tactical attack to a game. Giving much advantage to nan attacker doesn't needfully mean much goals, it could lead to much protect play. I'd beryllium very amazed if this ever happens."

Goalkeepers holding nan shot for much than 8 seconds are now punished pinch a area for nan opposition, but what astir time-wasting elsewhere connected nan pitch? The mean ball-in-play clip this play 55 minutes 05 seconds - 114 seconds down from past season.

What nan fans said:

Anthony: When infringements aliases injuries occur, extremity nan timepiece arsenic they do successful rugby. Then astatine nan 90th minute, that is nan extremity of nan match. No much debates astir why respective minutes person been added to half-time aliases full-time.

Gary: Change nan crippled to 60 minutes, but pinch a extremity timepiece erstwhile nan shot isn't successful play [like basketball]. In astir existent games, location is little than 50 minutes of play. Would destruct time-wasting successful an instant.

Tony: The timepiece stops each clip shot goes retired of play, and nan referee blows his whistle to extremity play.

Alex: Follow rugby, extremity nan timepiece for immoderate injury, video adjunct referee (VAR) check, etc. If you are losing, you want much wounded time; if you are winning, you want less. So conscionable extremity nan clock, get free of nan chartless astatine nan extremity of nan game.

What Chris Foy said: "Time is ever a large talking constituent successful football. Something could beryllium adopted to reside this, for example, an independent timekeeper arsenic we person successful different sports specified arsenic basketball.

"The referee calls clip disconnected and connected erstwhile play restarts. The fans tin past besides spot nan timepiece counting down which I'm judge will adhd to nan excitement."

What Dale Johnson said: "One rumor pinch a stopped timepiece is that unless you're successful a crushed pinch a scoreboard, nan fans would person nary thought really agelong location is near to play.

But much and much clip is being mislaid to stoppages for illustration goal-kicks, throw-ins and corner-kicks. All 3 are astatine their highest this season. So thing has to beryllium done astir it."

Under existent rules referees tin instruct players not to attack them, and show yellowish cards to those who do truthful without support and behave successful a disrespectful manner. Diving should besides consequence successful a booking. However, galore fans judge this is not enforced enough.

Former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy said "for anyone caught cheating aliases diving, nan different squad gets a penalty", while ex-Blackburn and Celtic guardant Chris Sutton said: "Rather than conscionable a yellowish paper for simulation, I would upgrade that to a reddish paper and a three-game ban. Let's prohibition nan cheats."

What nan fans said:

Christopher: Swearing astatine nan ref aliases immoderate abusive connection = contiguous reddish paper and a four-match ban.

Jeff: Any effort to simulate a foul would beryllium an instant yellowish card, but fixed erstwhile a break successful play, and monitored by VAR. Any holding aliases pulling of clothing to beryllium a yellowish card, again monitored by VAR. Both of these are against nan tone of nan game.

Dave: Implement cards for immoderate benignant of simulation. Too galore players conning nan ref trying to get advantage, successful peculiar players going down holding look aliases caput erstwhile ne'er touched. Classic illustration was Gabriel holding his look for Sunderland's 2nd extremity erstwhile intelligibly obscurity adjacent his face.

David: Red paper for simulation, really agelong person fans been asking for this?

What Chris Foy said: "Dissent is simply a problem astatine galore levels of shot and erstwhile I was refereeing it was nary different. If unfastened acts of dissent are detected they should beryllium dealt pinch - 2019 saw nan preamble of sin-bins astatine grassroots shot which is simply a awesome summation for dealing pinch unfastened shows of dissent. Referees cannot do it unsocial and everyone has a work to protect nan image of nan game."

Referees now person a full paper of reasons to springiness handball, pinch nan purpose to springiness a "clearer and much accordant meaning and interpretation". What it brought was consistently much penalties, because location were galore much reasons to springiness one.

Former England skipper Alan Shearer said immoderate of nan phraseology was confusing and has called for change: "Proximity... evident position... not successful an evident position... natural," he said. "For me, it's beautiful elemental - is it deliberate handball aliases not?". It's safe to opportunity fans work together pinch him.

What fans said:

Mike: Bring backmost nan old, sensible "ball to hand" arsenic accidental handball. Common consciousness mentation needed. Some of these handball calls are utterly ridiculous and ruin a game.

Harry: Hand to shot is simply a penalty, shot to manus is not a penalty. That would extremity players from aiming for hands successful nan punishment area.

David: Handball successful nan container by a defender should beryllium an indirect free-kick. The shot accidentally hitting a manus does not warrant a penalty, which tin alteration a crippled completely.

Simon: Scrap penalties for handballs successful nan container unless it's denying a goalscoring opportunity. Indirect free-kick instead. Giving nan attacking squad an almost guaranteed extremity for thing tin beryllium a really insignificant infraction by nan defender is wildly disproportionate.

What Chris Foy said: "To beryllium if thing was perfectly deliberate, you would person to inquire a subordinate if they meant to grip nan ball.

"Personally, I deliberation nan crippled is successful a bully spot regarding nan handball norm and don't hide we person had a number of changes complete nan past 5 years. We don't want to spot changes each year."

Former England striker Ellen White said VAR "takes retired nan joyousness and nan emotion erstwhile a extremity is scored" for players and fans alike, while ex-Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said it has "too galore inconsistencies and it's down to quality error, which is still a monolithic problem".

Match of nan Day presenter Gabby Logan doesn't deliberation we should get free of VAR, but "there should beryllium a 90-second rule. If it is not clear an evident successful 90 seconds, it's not clear and obvious."

What fans said:

Owen: With VAR, study from cricket and only spell to VAR connected petition from nan captain... Three requests per crippled for each team. It would mean less VAR calls and would only beryllium erstwhile location were really clear errors not conscionable insignificant ones.

Barry: I would alteration VAR to only beryllium activated if nan referee asks for a check, akin to rugby.

Jeff: If thing takes much than a minute, it's not clear and obvious. Refs person a large capable on-field team, VAR is an unnecessary addition, and I would emotion to cognize nan costs to clubs, and why they don't bin it?

Mike: Get free of VAR completely. We had 120-odd years of nan aged strategy erstwhile shot was football. Now, it's a discarded of time.

Charlie: Why aren't refs allowed to petition to spot nan show themselves? Stop VAR telling nan ref what to do and fto nan ref usage VAR himself. If nan ref isn't judge he should inquire VAR to bring it up connected nan show alternatively of waiting 5 minutes.

What Chris Foy said: "In narration to VAR and its protocol, nan referee tin initiate a 'review' for a imaginable 'clear and evident error' aliases 'serious missed incident' erstwhile nan VAR (or different lucifer official) recommends a 'review' and nan referee suspects thing superior has been missed.

"Time limit connected checks are difficult to instrumentality arsenic successful immoderate situations, checks person galore moving pieces."

Dale Johnson added: "The problem pinch placing a clip limit connected reviews is nan basal impervious whitethorn not beryllium instantly available.

"Last season, successful a VAR reappraisal for a punishment Liverpool had been awarded against Wolves, nan VAR appeared fresh to support nan determination aft nan first fewer replay angles. But past nan adjacent replay intelligibly showed nan attacker had initiated contact.

"With a clip limit, this whitethorn person stayed arsenic a penalty. There's nary uncertainty that if you do spot a clip limit, incorrect decisions whitethorn not beryllium overturned."