Is it time to ditch the away-goals rule in UEFA Competition?


The 20th edition of UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum took place at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon on Tuesday afternoon. The forum provided an opportunity for top European club coaches to exchange views on the major issues affecting European club competitions, as well as to discuss and make proposals to UEFA that may be of overall benefit to the European game. Discussions centered on a review of tactical and technical aspects of last season’s European club competitions, as well as a look ahead to the 2018/19 UEFA club competitions which kicks off this month.

The key talking points by Europe’s top club coaches from the forum is their proposition to UEFA asking for a review on the use of away-goals rule in continental competitions. “The coaches think that scoring goals away is not as difficult as it was in the past,” said Uefa deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti after the meeting in Switzerland. “They think the rule should be reviewed and that’s what we will do.” Marchetti said the coaches felt the rule was also counter-productive and that, as much as encouraging away teams to attack, it induced home teams to defend to avoid conceding a costly goal.

They also want the transfer window to end at the same time in all the continent’s major leagues. “The coaches are of an opinion that there should be a unified window and the window should close before the competition starts,” said Marchetti. “The idea would be to try and bring them into line.” He said the coaches wanted more countries to follow the example of England and Italy and close them before the start of the season. In Spain, Germany and France, they continued until the end of August as before.

The crème de la crème coaches of European club gather yearly in a relaxed atmosphere to talk about how to improve the game. It is a chance for these coaches to discuss football away from the pressure of their daily work. The coaches – who have accumulated a considerable collection of honours between them – are in an ideal position to offer invaluable advice to UEFA, given their roles and experience. “It’s important for us to meet, and for us to hear your expertise,” UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin told the coaches in opening the meeting. The European football body listens to the coaches’ feedback at the forum and expresses its own views, and the various thoughts and proposals are then examined by UEFA’s various committees, expert panels and specialist bodies.

The 2018 forum was attended by Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus), Carlo Ancelotti (Napoli), Rafael Benítez (Newcastle United), Sérgio Conceição (Porto), Paulo Fonseca (Shakhtar Donetsk), Rudi Garcia (Olympique de Marseille), Şenol Güneş (Beşiktaş), Julen Lopetegui (Real Madrid), José Mourinho (Manchester United), Diego Simeone (Atlético de Madrid), Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain) and former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger.

These coaches proposition would be considered by UEFA technical committee for club competitions. However, it is highly unlikely that the suggestion would be adopted for the 2018/19 season but something to look forward to in future seasons.

Do you agree with the coaches on the away-goal rule and the closure of the transfer market before the football season kicks off? Please use the comment box beneath for your comment.

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