Dietmar Hamann blasts Arsene Wenger's 'complete & utter nonsense' offside proposal & 'fears for people of Canada' during trial period

The football world is currently debating a radical shift in the laws of the game. FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Wenger, has proposed a "clear daylight" offside rule where a player is only flagged if their entire body is ahead of the last defender.

The rule will be trialed in the Canadian Premier League this season, a move that has drawn a scathing response from Hamann. The former Germany international believes the tweak is fundamentally flawed, arguing that it removes the necessary protection for defenders and risks turning football into a high-scoring sport that resembles basketball rather than the beautiful game.

Hamann is adamant that the change will create impossible situations for those trying to hold a defensive line, claiming that the new rules are "utter nonsense". Speaking to BOYLE Sports, he said: "I feel for the people in Canada, I think this is utter nonsense. We've got to give defenders a chance. Years ago, if you were at the same level, you were offside. They changed it so the same level is not offside for the centre-forward. Now, you could potentially be a yard or a yard and a half in front and in a running motion, even if your leg is behind."

"You could be running and be a yard, or after half a second, you could be five yards ahead of the defender. I think it's just nonsense because what will happen is we'll see more penalties anyway because of the handball rule. I think the handball rule is a shambles as well. With every detail they try to correct, they make it more complex and more confusing. Even the referees at times don't know when to give a handball or a penalty for a handball."

Beyond the technical difficulties for officials, Hamann is concerned about the competitive integrity of the sport. He believes the new rule will widen the gap between the world's best teams and the underdogs, as superior sides will find it even easier to exploit the space behind a defence.

"This also favours the superior team because they will play more in the opposition's half," Hamann noted. "There will be more situations where the superior team will have 30 entries into the last 20 yards, while the underdog will have 10 or five. Obviously, it favours the big teams. Do we want to see this? No, I don't want to see this."

The former Champions League winner concludes that the proposal doesn't actually solve the frustrations surrounding VAR; it merely shifts the point of controversy. He insists that the beauty of a tactically perfect 0-0 draw is at risk of being lost forever in favour of artificial entertainment.

"I want a level playing field which gives the underdog a chance to beat the favourites. This will be more in favour of the bigger teams, the bigger nations, and I think it's complete and utter nonsense," he added. "Obviously, you will have the same controversy with this now because it is no different. The difference is that we see far more goals, which I don't agree with. You've got to give defenders a chance."

The trials in North America will continue to be monitored by FIFA as they weigh the future of the offside law. Meanwhile, the debate rages on as to whether the game needs more goals at the expense of its defensive soul.