Wenger's 'daylight' offside trial unlikely to be extended

What the report says

Arsene Wenger’s “daylight” offside experiment is unlikely to be extended after it received little backing at the International Football Association Board’s assessment panels, according to BBC Sport Football. The trial has been used this year in the Canadian Premier League, where a player is judged onside if any part of the body is level with the second-last defender.

BBC Sport reports that the panels were told the experiment reduced offside decisions by 54% and produced 13 extra goals across 112 matches. It also appeared to push defensive lines deeper by about three metres over the season. The Canadian league also used Football Video Support, a limited version of VAR that lets coaches challenge decisions twice per game, which may have softened the impact of the trial compared with most competitions.

The discussion also covered other possible law changes. There was support for revising the penalty shootout coin toss so the captain who wins the toss would choose either ends or first kick, while the other captain would get the remaining option. By contrast, there was little enthusiasm for extending the five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal-kicks to free-kicks and corners.

BBC Sport added that a goalkeeper-injury trial currently used in English football was seen as working well so far. The meetings were described as an early step toward potential law changes for the 2027-28 season, with lawmakers wary of making too many alterations after recent rule changes.