Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once said that “football is a simple game complicated by idiots.”
The Scotsman’s candid words continue to ring true years after they were first uttered. Then, Shankly was likely referring to the over-thinkers and faux intellectuals keen to instil complex tactical thought understood by few.
However, it’s not merely those who assess and analyse that can be accused of complicating the beautiful game. Lawmakers have often hit the sweet spot when it comes to rule changes, with the introduction of red and yellow cards in 1970 and the back-pass rule in 1992 among the major law alterations which proved to drastically improve the sport long-term.
But now it seems that we’re reaching a stage when we’re changing the rules for the sake of it. Seemingly every year, a wacky new concept emerges—probably from Arsène Wenger’s mind. The latest reported proposals from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) aren’t exactly revolutionary, but they’re unlikely to be particularly popular. UEFA have already laid out their grievances.
Here are the two potential rule changes IFAB are considering before the 2026 World Cup.
