UEFA Abolish The Away Goals Rule From 2021-22 Season

UEFA Abolish The Away Goals Rule From 2021-22 Season

Aleksander Ceferin, the president of football’s governing body, UEFA, announced today, Thursday 24, that the away goals rule – which was introduced back in 1965 –  is to be scrapped in all UEFA competitions, from the 2021-22 season.

It is a rule that is applied in a two-legged knockout match, where, if the scores are level at the end of both legs, the team that scored the most goals in their away leg of the two matches are deemed the winners.

It is a rule that has both Porto and PSG in the 202-21 Champions League competition, as well as PSG’s women’s team in the Champion’s League, while in 2019, Tottenham also beat both Man City and Ajax on away goals in the same competition, on their way to the final.

Ceferin revealed that the decision had not been unanimous, saying, “The away goals rule has been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965. However, the question of its abolition has been debated at various UEFA meetings over the last few years. Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans, and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished”.

As UEFA abolish this long-standing rule, it is hoped that this change can lead to ties featuring more entertaining attack-minded play, as teams will need to score in both legs of the fixture, and the change applies to all men’s women’s, and youth competitions, according to Sky Sports.

The UEFA president continued, “The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams – especially in first legs – from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage. There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored”.

Adding, “It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was. Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to a decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home”.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check The Euro Weekly News for all your up-to-date local and international news stories.