Netherlands Football Mulls Offside Law Abolition to Curb Violence

The Netherlands is contemplating the abolition of the offside rule in amateur football to reduce violence linked to disputed decisions. The KNVB noted an 11% rise in halted matches due to aggression last season, urging for measures to address this growing issue.

The Netherlands football association (KNVB) is considering eliminating the offside rule at the amateur level to combat increasing violence over disputed referee decisions. The move aims to address the rising number of halted matches due to aggression.

According to KNVB director Jan Dirk van der Zee, the number of amateur matches terminated due to violent incidents saw an 11% increase last season, reaching 1,864 matches. This marks a 58% rise over a five-year period.

"Despite the fact that this is a small fraction of the nearly 780,000 matches played annually, we acknowledge the problem and aim to eradicate it," van der Zee stated at a press conference. He hinted at the possible future removal of assistant referees in amateur football.

(With inputs from agencies.)