IFAB Offside Rule Change Enters Third Year of Trial

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The offside rule is one that many Celtic fans will want changed after Saturday, with three goals against St Johnstone ruled out for offside.

Callum McGregor SFA
14th January 2023; Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland: Scottish Viaplay Cup Football Semi Final, Celtic versus Kilmarnock; Callum McGregor of Celtic speaks to assistant referee Dougie Potter after a Celtic goal is ruled offside

The International Football Association Board are continuing to explore modifications to the offside rule.

The current interpretation of Rule 11.1 on offside position determines a player to be in an offside position if any part of their head, body, or feet is in the opponent’s half and nearer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

In an effort to refine the game further and potentially increase the number of legitimate goals scored, IFAB has approved further trials of a revised offside rule.

This marks the third year of experimentation with a rule change aimed at altering the criteria for what constitutes an offside position. Under the proposed adjustment, a player will only be deemed offside if their entire body is ahead of the second-last opponent.

This proposed modification could have a significant impact on the game, potentially leading to more attacking play and goals by narrowing the conditions under which a player can be flagged offside.

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