Wenger’s Offside Reform Rejected by IFAB; VAR Could Be Allowed to Intervene in Corner-Kick Decisions at the World Cup

According to reports, the offside rule reform proposed by Arsène Wenger has been rejected by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

The IFAB meeting held in London on Tuesday was highly anticipated. The so-called “Wenger Rule”—a proposal to introduce a major overhaul of the offside law—attracted widespread attention. However, according to AS, the lawmakers responsible for assessing which new rules could be implemented have rejected Wenger’s proposal. The reform has both supporters and opponents, a division that was clearly evident during the London meeting.

The IFAB meeting, held ahead of the General Assembly scheduled for February 28 in Cardiff, did not carry out a formal evaluation of changes to the offside rule. In the days prior, UEFA and the four British associations within IFAB (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) had all made it clear that they were firmly opposed to implementing the “Wenger Rule,” believing it to be too radical and likely to cause confusion for defending teams.

This opposition runs counter to FIFA’s stance. FIFA believes changes are necessary to make football more attacking. The IFAB Annual Business Meeting ultimately decided not to introduce changes to the offside law for now, opting instead to conduct further testing. British media reports stated that “the Annual Business Meeting agreed to continue testing the offside rule,” with the Canadian Premier League expressing its willingness to trial the “Wenger Rule.”

Meanwhile, the main topic actually discussed at the London meeting concerned new exceptions for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) interventions, particularly whether VAR should be allowed to review corner-kick decisions.

FIFA’s Head of Refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, considers this issue crucial, believing there is sufficient time to review such decisions before play resumes. IFAB analysts and lawmakers proposed an exception that would “allow competitions to choose whether VAR can review clear and obvious errors in corner-kick decisions, provided the review is carried out immediately and does not delay the restart of play.” As a result, Collina and FIFA may implement this rule at the next World Cup. However, IFAB stressed that play would not be stopped solely to confirm whether a corner-kick decision was correct.

There was broader consensus regarding VAR reviews of potential errors involving second yellow cards leading to dismissals, as well as cases where teams are incorrectly shown red or yellow cards for fouls.

IFAB also proposed stricter measures to combat time-wasting during matches, with FIFA and IFAB focusing on stoppages in play. The eight-second countdown rule for goalkeepers (with a corner awarded to the opposing team if the time limit is exceeded) has already been introduced, and there are plans to extend similar rules to throw-ins and goal kicks. If players fail to restart play before the countdown expires, possession will be awarded to the opposing team.

A more controversial proposal concerns injured players requiring medical treatment (excluding goalkeepers), who would be required to remain off the pitch for two minutes. This measure was tested at the last Arab Cup and is already in place in Major League Soccer. However, IFAB lawmakers are divided over the length of time players should stay off the field, arguing that two minutes is too long and advocating for a shorter duration (such as 30 seconds), provided the player receives treatment on the pitch.

Following recommendations made by IFAB’s Football and Technical Advisory Panels in October last year, the meeting proposed amendments to the Laws of the Game. Under the existing rules, players who receive medical treatment or assessment on the field must leave the pitch and are not permitted to return for a fixed period after play resumes, with the duration yet to be defined. Determining how long players should remain off the pitch during treatment has therefore become a key issue.

One point of agreement was the need for players to leave the pitch more quickly to prevent further time-wasting. A new regulation is now required stipulating that substituted players must leave the field within 10 seconds.

IFAB also approved Circular No. 31, which clarifies Laws 10 and 14 regarding double touches during penalty kicks. This issue sparked significant controversy last season in the UEFA Champions League after Julián Álvarez’s penalty was ruled invalid.

The Annual Business Meeting also received reports on trials involving referees wearing body cameras at grassroots and senior competition levels and expressed support for including body-worn cameras as an optional element within the Laws of the Game, allowing their use across various competitions.

All of these proposals must be approved at the IFAB General Assembly on February 28 and would come into effect from July 1 at the start of the next season. However, some of the measures could be implemented earlier at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.