Barca’s Andres Iniesta celebrating his equaliser at the Stamford Bridge that knocked out Chelsea from the 2009 Champions League
TECHNICALITIES enhance the development of football. It is therefore surprising that, some technical managers of the game are kicking against that important and decisive away-goal rule.
There is nothing wrong at all with that rule. If that fair rule is scraped off, there would instead be more extra times and the cruel penalty shoot-out which are waste of time and energy exercises. The away-goal rule is fair by all standards.
There is a simple analogy in favour of the away goal rule. Team “A” travels to Team “B” and plays a one-one drawn game. In the return match, Team” B” draws goalless with Team “A”. Which of the two teams is then technically better? Precisely and of course, the better of the two teams is Team “A” technically because against all odds away from home, Team “A” was able to score a goal.
Introduced by UEFA in the 1960s, the away goals rule provides a winner in ties that end level by assigning greater value to goals scored by visiting sides. It has become such a staple of football that commentators regularly utter cliches about away strikes being “all-important” and “counting double”.
However, to its chief detractors – a group principally made up of Europe’s top coaches – not only has the rule been left behind by football, it now actively works against the attacking ideals it hoped to promote.
If they have their way, the rule will be ditched in favour of something they feel is more in keeping with the modern game.
As you are already aware, I have researched into soccer technicalities since the Mexico 1986 World Cup and I am in total support of the away-goal rule.
Truth is that it encourages away teams to be confident, aggressive and offensive-minded, knowing what it means getting a goal. Once FIFA effaces that rule, away teams would tend to be more defensive on the road – and this does not inspire productive football.
BY JOHN B.K. AMOAH
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