FIFA has already proposed a number of rule changes over the next few years, with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis proposing some changes to attract younger fans.
Coach Aurelio De Laurentiis hints at a number of rule changes in soccer (Image: Getty Images)
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has proposed shortening football matches to just 50 minutes in a radical overhaul. The 76-year-old has been the owner of the Italian team since 2004 and has enjoyed a glorious period, leading the team from being relegated to the third division back to the top league.
Napoli have gone from strength to strength in recent seasons, winning the Serie A twice and the Italian Cup three times. They also became regulars in the Champions League.
Despite its successful period, De Laurentiis wants to make some drastic changes to the rules to keep the game more interesting. One of his demands is to shorten game time from 90 minutes to 50 minutes.
He told The Athletic: “No. 1: Shorten each (half) from 45 minutes to 25 minutes. But don’t sit on the field and play like an actor! ‘No, you’re out!'”
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Meanwhile, De Laurentiis has also said that both yellow and red cards should be abolished completely, believing a rugby-like sin bin could be the way forward.
He added: “I never use red cards or yellow cards. I’ll say things like, ‘You guys, stay out for 5 minutes (for a yellow card)’ or ‘You guys, stay out for 20 minutes for a red card!'”
The final change suggested by De Laurentiis is a review of offside laws, which would mean even close calls would be binned.
“It’s another thing!” added the Napoli coach. “Too few goals! So it’s nothing spectacular. We have to create more goals. And to create more goals, we have to change the rules. To have more goals, we have to change the rules. To have more goals, we have to change the rules. To have more goals, we have to change the rules.”
Aurelio De Laurentiis, who helped Napoli win two Serie A titles (Image: Getty Images)
“You can’t (cancel) a goal by just a few millimeters…offside has to change drastically. The new generation is our treasure. If we don’t please them, we’re going to die. We won’t have the same opportunities as in the last 100 years.”
De Laurentiis’ proposal for an offside rule is in line with Arsene Wenger’s claim that there must be “daylight” between the attacker and the last defender for an offside violation to occur.
The Canadian Premier League is currently in the middle of a trial of new rules. After the announcement, manager Wenger said: “This is an important pilot.
“Testing this new interpretation in professional competition will allow us to better understand its impact, including improving the clarity and flow of the game and promoting attacking play. We look forward to analyzing the results of the trial phase.”
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