Proposal To Improve The Game

Penalty shootouts to decide a game after 90 minutes of regular playing time and 30 minutes of extra time have been criticized for a long time by players, coaches, and fans. Ask one hundred people and you will get one hundred different ideas for solving this problem. The various governing bodies have considered or used alternatives such as the Golden Goal rule, in which the first team to score during extra time won the match, but this resulted in defensive matches that hoped to avoid damage rather than create opportunities. Other suggested actions, never seriously considered at any level, have included tallying various combinations of corner kicks, shots on goal, goals scored during a series of one-on-two scrimmages or a set of corner kicks. Unfortunately, few if any of them would result in prettier soccer, and all of them seem artificial. Until now.


I have a simple proposal that would not only reduce the likelihood of going into a penalty shootout but also produce more aesthetically-pleasing matches consistently: change the rules governing substitutions. There are several reasons to do this, and all of them would increase the appeal of the world's game. My suggestions would be to increase the number of allowable substitutes during a regular match to five per side, have the fourth official supervise "hot" substitutions without game stoppage, allow two more substitutions per team in case of extra time, permit a goalkeeper to be substituted at any point for another goalkeeper in case of injury without counting towards the five-substitute limit, and permit anyone on the team to take a penalty kick during a shootout, whether they finished the game on the field or not (players receiving a red card are the only exception).

This is why these suggestions make sense:

* Five substitutes per game give coaches greater strategic flexibility at both ends of the field. This would allow coaches to make better adjustments, utilize more of those exciting players sitting on the bench, reduce fatigue and chance of injury, keep fresh legs on the field, and help develop young talent faster.

* Hot substitutions would eliminate game delays, and those obvious stalling tactics at the end of a game. There is no reason the fourth official cannot ensure a player is off the field before a substitution comes in.

* Extra time? More substitutions! Two more players with fresh legs would speed up the game, and tired defenders would have a hard time keeping up with the offense. While all seven substitutes to this point could be used to shore up the defense and clog the middle of the field, nothing stops a coach from doing that now from the first whistle. This is not a function of allowed substitutions, but of a coach's mentality. Exhibit A: Switzerland versus Spain during the 2010 World Cup.

* No coach wants to remove the starting goalkeeper without injury. I have never seen a tactical change implemented by substituting for the goalkeeper. If the starting keeper is injured, let him/her be substituted. I cannot imagine a scenario in which a goalkeeper would fake an injury to be substituted for his/her understudy.

* Allowing any member of the team to participate in the penalty shootout also makes for fresh legs when a team needs them most.

The finances of today's global game demand that a team utilize all players on its roster as often as possible. Fans would certainly appreciate the opportunity to see more talent on the pitch, and these rule changes would allow that. Player development would accelerate, increasing the level of play across leagues and divisions, which is only a positive for the game itself. Think of all those expensive players sitting on the bench when they could be helping their team and pleasing the ticket-buying public.

With these rules in place, one can even imagine further changes that may even eliminate the dreaded shootout once and for all. Additional substitutions, re-entry of substituted players during extra time, unlimited subs, etc. Of the many rule changes suggested to and by FIFA to improve the game, this one may actually resonate with the governing body because, as has been proven time and again, for FIFA, money talks.