European country considering scrapping offside rule to counter violence

An alarming number of matches are being halted because of aggression over disputed decisions.

According to KNVB, lower league games are typically flagged by club members who are not sufficiently trained as opposed to official linesmen, which often results in threats and disputes.

The organisation is now exploring the idea that scrapping the offside rule altogether would end the near-constant disruptions in the amateur game.

KNVB director Jan Dirk van der Zee insisted that something needs to be done to put an end to the fighting over referee and linesmen decisions

"We have a problem, and we want to eradicate it. I do not rule out that we will one day stop using assistant referees."

Last season, 1,864 matches were stopped because of violent incidents, an increase of 11 per cent compared to the previous season and an increase of 58 per cent over a five-year period.

In 2023, a new 'Participants Charter' was introduced to the English game with the view of protecting officials from abuse and violence.

Chief Refereeing Officer for the English Football League Howard Webb spoke at a PGMOL event about how standards of behaviour in the English games have been "allowed to decline" in recent years.

"I think over a period of time we’ve seen a decline in some behaviours, both on the field of play and in the technical areas," he said. "It’s not exclusive to the English game, we’ve seen it around the world.

"This has had knock-on effects. We’ve seen copycat behaviour at grassroots levels, and that’s resulted in people either quitting as referees or not choosing to take up the whistle.

"I think for too long we as match officials have not done well enough in dealing with behaviours that have been unacceptable. We have too often confused unacceptable behaviour as passion. We’ve turned a blind eye or a deaf ear.

"We’re trying to change behaviours that are exhibited in our sport that have been allowed to decline over the years, for many years, that have now seen a situation where we have a lot of referees who are facing really difficult experiences at grassroots level."

Webb continued: "We have too often confused unacceptable behaviour as passion. We’ve turned a blind eye or a deaf ear.

"Numbers are generally around the world declining and I think enough is enough. This is our chance to leave a legacy of improved behaviour.

"We’re being tasked as match officials to deliver change on the field of play by being resilient and robust and consistent with the way that we deal with unacceptable behaviour.

"We’re ready to do that for the good of the game but it’s absolutely important that all stakeholders in the game stand behind our officials and ensure that they feel empowered and supported when they’re dealing with these behaviours."