Football often players around with various rule changes, some of which have had major impacts on the game as a whole.
The likes of the backpass rule, receiving three points for a win, and alterations to the offside law have fundamentally changed the sport for the better. However, some people feel further alterations should be made.
Down through the years, there have been countless suggestions as to how the game could be improved with rule changes.
A couple of these suggestions from Thierry Henry could do the trick.
Thierry Henry suggests five rules changes for football
Speaking on CBS Sports last night, Thierry Henry suggested five major changes he would like to see made to the rules of football.
Some of them are a bit ridiculous, but a couple of them would be interesting to see.
"If a team scores more than three goals in a game, give them an extra point..."
King Titi has spoken. 👑 pic.twitter.com/B5gs5njfDj— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 10, 2023
Here are the changes he suggested.
1. Referee can give free-kicks against teams for time-wasting
This is an interesting one.
Henry suggests that in order to cut out time-wasting referees should have the ability to give the opposing team a free-kick that they can take 25 yards from the offending team's goal.
That would certainly be a bigger punishment than a yellow card for a goalkeeper in the 89th minute. It probably wouldn't go down well at Newcastle.
2. An extra point if teams score three goals or more
This is definitely a mad one, although it is similar to the bonus point structure you see in rugby.
Henry suggests that teams should be given an extra point if they score three or more goals in a game. For example, this would see a team be handed four points instead of the customary three if they managed to record a 3-0 victory.
This would certainly encourage more attacking play and would be an interesting addition to the group stages of a World Cup or Champions League.
3. Referees to wear mics and speak to the media after games
This is one people have been calling out for for quite some time.
Many people feel that referees should speak to the media in order to explain decisions they made over the course of a game. This may serve to make viewers understand why certain decisions were made and lessen the prevalence of conspiracy theories.
As for the ref mic, this seems like a no-brainer as it works very well in other sports.
4. Clubs must have high level of knowledge on new signings
This one is a bit more hard to understand, although Henry suggests that teams must have a certain level of knowledge of signings before they are allowed to move to the club. He suggests that this would decrease the level of failed transfers.
We're not sure how this could be implemented.
5. Introduction of temporary substitutions
Another one that could be looked at at some point, he also thinks that injured players should be taken off the pitch and replaced at the end of games in order to cut down on time-wasting.
Of course, this could also be abused as teams seek to get further fresh legs onto the pitch at the end of games.
Summary
- Free-kicks given against teams for time-wasting
- A bonus point for scoring three or more goals
- Referees to wear mics and speak to the media after games
- Clubs must have certain level of knowledge of players before signing them
- Introduction of temporary substitutions for injured players
There are certainly some interesting suggestions there, one or two of which could really add to the game.
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