With the Hockey World Cup in full swing it may come as no surprise that FIFA's President Sepp Blatter has been in discussion with the FIH (Federation International Hockey) in Switzerland discussing Soccer's implementation of deleting the off-side rule, as field hockey did more than a decade ago.
The offside rule in hockey was amended in 1987 to apply only to the final 25 yards and was temporarily abolished in 1996 before being done away with altogether two years later.
The result has been that the game has become more exciting and attractive to spectators, with play flowing more freely, fewer whistles and more space created in midfield.
Fifa amended the offside rule in 2003, but referees and their assistants might welcome a rule change that could rid football of many of its debatable decisions.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article7045837.ece
Mark Tronson an author of five books on hockey and hockey writer for major Australian newspapers says that the abolishment of the 'off-side' rule did more for hockey than one can imagine.
This proposal for FIFA would create for soccer a fresh encounter whereby the advantage to the defenders would be reversed which it did for hockey. Score lines in hockey dramatically increased and the umpires whistle dramatically decreased allowing the game to flow more freely.
Such a move in soccer would only enhance it as a spectator's sport.
But soccer is not following field hockey with video replays which has shown itself to be a huge success at the Hockey World Cup that is currently being played in India. FIFA last week met in Zurich and voted down this important forward looking step.
This writer believes that if Sepp Blatter's beloved Brazil were to lose the World Cup Final or fail to reach the Final, by a referee failing to pick up an error where a video replay would have clearly shown what actually happened, then the pendulum on this subject might swing the other way.