Coaches like Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, and Rafael Benitez are some of the top names in football. And they are part of the panel that brought up the case of UEFA to review the away goal rule. The reason for this petition was because away goals are now easier to score than they use to be. UEFA deputy general secretary, Giorgio Marchetti, has also revealed that they are going to open a discussion on the use of the rule.
Away goal has been something that is very crucial in inter-continental competitions like Europa league and champions league. It has decided the fate of many matches and has been a yardstick for those who would qualify for the final of several competitions. In a statement by the deputy, he said that;
“The coaches think that scoring goals away is not as difficult as it was in the past,” Marchetti told reporters. “They think the rule should be reviewed and that’s what we will do.
“They consider the situation in football has changed and the weight of the away goals is not the same as many years ago when the rule was introduced.”
The away-goal rule originated in 1965 when it was used to determine the winner for European cup winners’ cup. They also raised the issue of the closing transfer window which proved to be very frustrating for several coaches this season.
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“We discussed the summer transfer windows – the coaches were of the view that there should be a unified window and that the window should not overlap with the start of competitions,” Marchetti said.
Other coaches that were involved in raising the petition against the away goal rule include Carlo Ancelotti of Napoli. ALso, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone, Rafa Benitez of Newcastle United, Sergio Conceicao of Porto. Paulo Fonseca of Shakhtar Donetsk, Marseille’s Rudi Garcia and Senol Gunes of Besiktas were involve.