ANKARA
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has stated he wished to get rid of the away goal rule in use in football competitions, namely the UEFA Champions League.
In a column to FIFA weekly magazine on Thursday, Blatter questioned the merits of the away goal rule, a tie-break method used in two-leg knockout encounters, in 21st century football, saying it should be reviewed.
"Football has progressed since the 1960s, so the away goals rule may now be questioned. Does the away goals rule still make sense?" Blatter said.
The away-goal rule stipulates that should the aggregate score of a two-leg face-off end in a tie, victory is awarded to the team that scored the most goals during its away game. Two-leg encounters include a home and an away game.
"The idea dates back to a time when away games were often an adventure, involving journeys that could be long and arduous and the playing conditions would vary considerably," the FIFA president noted. "In reality, it favours the club that plays away from home in the second leg. Where the scores are tied, that team has 30 minutes more than their opponent to score a valuable away goal. After all, in the first leg there is no extra time."
"Such an imbalance has already been disposed of in various competitions. The away goals rule is no longer used in the semi-finals of the promotion playoffs in English football," said the 78-year-old Swiss football administrator.
Blatter also said that this change of rule should be applied in many organizations such as Major League Soccer (MLS) and Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Champions League.
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