Arsene Wenger's 'offside revolution' edges closer as FIFA & Gianni Infantino ready presentation of rule change to IFAB

The annual meeting of the IFAB is set to take place on January 20th in London and will see Wenger's proposals examined thoroughly, according to AS. The proposal is also due to be debated at the General Assembly in Wales in February. Wenger, who is now FIFA's Director of Global Football Development, wants to make a radical change to the offside law which would benefit attackers as it would mean they are onside if any part of their body is in line with the last outfield defender.

He outlined the proposal back in 2020, saying: "There is room to change the rule and not say that a part of a player’s nose is offside, so you are offside because you can score with that. Instead, you will be not offside if any part of the body that can score a goal is in line with the last defender, even if other parts of the attacker’s body are in front. That will sort it out and you will no longer have decisions about millimetres and a fraction of the attacker being in front of the defensive line."

Wenger has previously spoken about his plan and why he wants to make a change to the offside rule. The former Arsenal boss feels that attackers have suffered following the introduction of VAR which has not gone down well with supporters. Wenger also noted how a similar change was made after the 1990 World Cup which saw the lowest goals average in the history of the tournament.

"It was in 1990 after the World Cup in Italy when there were no goals scored," Wenger told Bein Sports. "We decided that there is no offside any more when you are on the same line of the defender. In case of doubt, the doubt benefits the striker. That means when there's a fraction, the striker did get the advantage. With VAR this advantage disappeared and for many people it's frustrating. That's why I proposed that as long as any part of your body is on the same line as the defender, you're not offside. We are experimenting with it now. In one year, the decision will be made, by the IFAB, not by me." 

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hinted that Wenger's plan could get the green light. Speaking at the World Sports Summit, he said: "Let’s take the example of the offside law, which has evolved over the years. Maybe in the future, [attackers] will need to be completely ahead of the defender to be offside."

Trials have already taken place, with a FIFA spokesperson telling The Times in 2024: "The discussion around changing the offside law is not new and it is not something we will see introduced at higher levels imminently. The idea was first discussed in 2020 as we felt it was something worth exploring and testing to see the effect it could have on the game. Fifa committed to trialling the amended offside law, favouring the attacker, which has been applied in selected youth competitions across Europe. We will continue with these trials, assess the results and discuss with all relevant stakeholders."

Wenger's plan has been met by criticism already by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. He posted on X: "This will be terrible for the game as teams will defend completely differently than we see now. Lots of low blocks & teams being negative."

Wenger's plan has already created plenty of debate but will now be scrutinised thoroughly in the coming months. The current thinking is that if it is approved, it could be put in place by the start of the 2026-27 season.