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.