Arsène Wenger’s proposal to change the offside law has been under discussion for six years. It is set to be reviewed again when the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meets to consider potential adjustments for the upcoming season.
Arsène Wenger’s proposal to change the offside law has been under discussion for six years. It is set to be reviewed again when the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meets to consider potential adjustments for the upcoming season.
Despite ongoing debate, no concrete changes have been made since the idea was first floated in 2020. Controversial VAR decisions, often decided by tiny margins, have kept the conversation alive, but they have not yet prompted a rule alteration.
One high-profile example occurred during Coventry’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United two years ago. A late goal for Coventry would have given them a 4-3 win, but VAR disallowed it, sending the game to penalties instead. Moments like these highlight the tension between close VAR calls and the fundamental rules of the game.
Wenger, appointed FIFA’s head of global football development in November 2019, aimed to encourage more attacking football. His solution, commonly called "daylight," requires a complete gap between the attacker and the second-to-last defender. Under this system, a player would not be offside if any part of their body is level with the defender.
Offside has remained largely unchanged since 1863, with only two significant revisions in 1925 and 1990. The law has been a core component of tactics and gameplay for over a century.
The last modification in 1990 was intended to combat overly defensive football, following a World Cup with an average of just 2.21 goals per game. The adjustment allowed players to be level with the second-to-last opponent rather than strictly behind, promoting attacking play while keeping fairness intact.
Today, the conversation about offside changes is driven primarily by the precision of VAR, not by a shortage of goals. IFAB’s advisory panels have warned against altering the law solely in response to marginal VAR calls, since these situations affect only a small portion of matches.
Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) has revived interest in Wenger’s idea. While it can detect tight offsides, it has also created delays and errors. A recent Carabao Cup goal for Manchester City took over five minutes to review because the system struggled to interpret the players’ positions accurately.
Other leagues have reported issues with SAOT, from confetti on the pitch to the system selecting the wrong defender. These problems have forced referees to revert to older line-drawing methods. Such technological glitches raise questions about whether the law itself needs modification or if the problem lies with VAR.
Critics argue that regardless of how offside is defined, marginal decisions will always exist. VAR will still be needed, making this more of a technological issue than a flaw in the law itself.
IFAB has not yet recommended Wenger’s law for senior football, though it has been tested in youth competitions in Italy and the Netherlands. Reports suggest the trials were mostly positive, but concerns remain about giving attackers too much advantage.
Before any widespread adoption, the rule would need to be tested in full professional competitions, including those with VAR, to understand its tactical implications. Past trials of rule changes, such as free-kick and penalty shootout experiments, have shown that unintended consequences can occur when adjustments are applied at scale.
Even with successful trials, a rollout for professional leagues would not likely happen until 2028-29. The effect on set pieces, in particular, could shift defensive strategies, as teams might drop deeper to prevent attackers from exploiting space.
At this stage, whether Wenger’s daylight concept is beneficial remains uncertain. The proposal raises interesting possibilities, but its full impact on the game is still unknown.
