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"Total nonsense" - John Giles reacts to Marco van Basten's idea to scrap the offside rule

John Giles has described Marco van Basten's idea that offside could potentially be scrapped from ...



"Total nonsense" - Joh...
Soccer

"Total nonsense" - John Giles reacts to Marco van Basten's idea to scrap the offside rule

John Giles has described Marco van Basten's idea that offside could potentially be scrapped from football in the future as "total nonsense" that would "ruin" the game.

On Wednesday, Netherlands and AC Milan legend Van Basten revealed a range of ideas that he feels could be brought in to improve the sport.

For example, the FIFA Chief Officer for Technical Development suggests penalties that would involve running up from 25 metres and getting a shot away within a strict time limit, rather than the current traditional spot kick methods.

One of the headline suggestions was the scrapping of the offside rule. But John feels that will never happen.

"The offside rule I think is a no go. It's total nonsense and would ruin the game totally," he told Off The Ball's Ger Gilroy.

"As you said earlier on, why not put six players in the penalty box and just hoof the ball in? I think that would be totally wrong. I think since the backpass rule came in [back in 1992], it stopped that huge kicking the ball long and big fellas up front and that . [Before the rule], the goalkeeper could take all day before kicking the ball out.

"I think the backpass rule was very, very good and sorted that out."

Meanwhile, the penalty shootout style proposed by Van Basten is something John witnessed first hand during his time playing in the United States' North American Soccer League

As John explained, in his time that "run up" style of penalty had a five second time limit by which time the kicker must have got a shot away. 

"It was very, very good," he said, adding that Van Basten's suggestion to clamp down heavily on time wasting is also a good idea.

John also backed the idea that the team captains would be the only players permitted to speak to the referee and match officials.

But he felt Van Basten did not mention one key area of improvement in his blueprint.

"I'm surprised what he hasn't mentioned is technology. If you want to improve the game, you have to talk [about technology]. I'm amazed if he's talking about so many things and he hasn't introduced technology," he said, adding that goal-line technology's introduction has been "brilliant". 

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