Arsène Wenger's push to shake up offside looks set to hit a wall, with football's lawmakers unconvinced by the 'daylight' trial.
Arsène Wenger's bold plan to rewrite the offside rule appears to be running out of road. The 'daylight' trial is unlikely to be extended after it failed to win enough backing from the assessment panels that advise Ifab, the body that governs football's laws.
The concept is simple on paper. An attacker would only be offside if there is clear daylight between them and the last defender. Any overlap, even a sliver of a body part that can legally score, would keep the attacker onside. Wenger has long argued the change would favour attacking play and cut down on the marginal, millimetre-level calls that have frustrated fans in the VAR era.
The lack of enthusiasm from the panels suggests the idea has not convinced the people who shape the game's rulebook. Offside is among the most scrutinised laws in football, and any change needs broad support from those who must apply it on the pitch.
Without that support, the trial looks set to end rather than expand. Wenger's idea may still shape the debate about how to balance attackers and defenders, but for now the offside line stays where it is.
