UEFA scraps away goals rule for club competitions
Print Edition
European soccer鈥檚 governing body UEFA said yesterday it had approved a proposal to remove the away goals rule from all its club competitions involving men鈥檚, women鈥檚 and youth teams, beginning with the qualifying phase of the 2021-22 campaign.
The away goals rule, introduced by UEFA in 1965-66, has been applied when the score of a two-legged tie is level on aggregate after 180 minutes, with the team scoring more goals away from its home venue declared the winner.
But it came under scrutiny last season with some matches being held at neutral venues without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead, two 15-minute periods of extra time will be played at the end of the second leg, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the teams are still tied.
UEFA cited several factors that 鈥渂lurred the lines between playing at home and away鈥 including more television coverage to better understand opponents鈥 styles, comfortable travel and better playing surfaces.
Explaining the decision, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: 鈥淭he impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams 鈥 especially in first legs 鈥 from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage.鈥
鈥淭here is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.
鈥淚t is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was,鈥 Ceferin said.
The decision to scrap the away goals rule was taken by UEFA鈥檚 Executive Committee following the recommendation of its Club Competitions Committee and the Women鈥檚 Football Committee.
UEFA said since away goals will no longer be given additional weight to decide a tie, they would also be removed from the criteria used to determine the rankings when two or more teams are equal on points in the group stage.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
