The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is set to trial Arsene Wenger’s controversial ‘daylight’ offside rule after it was presented to the International Football Association Board (Ifab).
The rule was showcased at Ifab’s annual business meeting and is poised to have a massive impact on Canadian football, particularly in the online betting industry.
The best betting sites in Canada featured on comparison platform bettingtop10.ca will be forced to adjust their odds to compensate for the likely increase in goals.
Wenger’s offside rule is set to have a wider impact beyond the betting sector. If is successful in the CPL, other parts of the world could be inclined to adopt it into their league rules.
Ifab are also discussing new laws aimed at reducing time-wasting and expanding the role of video assistant referees (VAR) at major tournaments such as the World Cup.
Wenger’s Radical ‘Daylight’ Offside Idea
Not many figures in the football world command as much respect as Arsene Wenger, so it’s no surprise that his ideas on the offside rule are being taken with much more than a pinch of salt.
The former Arsenal manager believes football has become too strict on attackers. Offside decisions have swung on little details such as whether a player’s foot or shoulder is just ahead of a defender.
Players are often frustrated after being denied a goal by the tiniest of margins, and Wenger’s groundbreaking idea is set to give attackers the benefit of the doubt.
Wenger’s rule suggests that an attacker would only be offside if they are clearly ahead of the defender, with visible space between them.
If any part of the attacker that can score a goal is level with the defender, the player would be considered onside. That means close calls would favour the attacking player.
Wenger, who has been serving as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development since 2019, first proposed his idea six years ago. However, there have only been limited trials in youth football.
The CPL is now set to be the first testing ground for Wenger’s idea at senior level, with Ifab confirming that the league will trial the rule when its new season begins in April.
Wenger has admitted that the idea is bold, but insists that football must be willing to trial big solutions before settling for smaller ones.
Ifab’s Push to End Time-Wasting
Ifab is also pushing to implement new laws that will tackle time-wasting, which is another massive problem that football has struggled to shake off.
Slow restarts, delayed substitutions and players pretending to be injured to run down the clock have all chipped away at the flow and rhythm of the game. Football has already moved to fix this issue by adding more stoppage time at the end of each half.
However, Ifab are looking to take things even further by tackling the issue at its source and changing how players behave during the game.
One of the ideas they have proposed is introducing countdowns for goal-kicks and throw-ins. This means players would have a certain amount of time to restart play. If they fail to do so, they would be punished immediately by ceding possession to the opposing team.
A delayed goal-kick would become a corner for the other team, while a slow throw-in could be handed to the opposition.
These punishments are aimed at making time-wasting futile and protecting the flow of the game. This approach has already been tested in Major League Soccer, and the results were promising.
The rules around substitutions are also set to change. Players coming off would have just 10 seconds to leave the pitch. If they fail to do so, their replacement will be delayed, forcing the team to play with a numerical disadvantage for a short time.
VAR to be Handed Extended Role at 2026 World Cup
FIFA is also looking to give VAR more responsibility at the upcoming World Cup co-hosted by Canada.
The governing body believes it has the resources to check every corner kick at the coming tournament before the ball is delivered into the box. This would ensure that decisions are correct without adding extra delays.
Using connected ball technology, VAR officials would be able to confirm whether the ball has crossed the line or if a corner has been awarded correctly.
There have been complaints that it will only add more time wasting to the game, but FIFA argues that these checks can be completed while teams are setting up to take the corner.
Convincing domestic leagues to take up the new rule could be difficult, with many of them dragging their heels. They are concerned that it could increase frustration among players and fans, but FIFA is pushing ahead by making corner checks an optional feature.
There has also been an agreement on reviewing second yellow cards, giving VAR the power to intervene in certain situations.
