BREAKING! UEFA reveals latest ‘unfair’ rule that could affect Chelsea next season
Chelsea is known for being dominant at Stamford Bridge when it comes to European competitions, but UEFA has come up with a new rule that will take away any sort of ‘unfair’ home advantage.
UEFA have decided to scrap the away goals rule from next season onwards, as teams will now have to fight for their win thoroughly.
The away goals comes in to play when two teams involved in a doubled-legged tie had scored the same number of goals on aggregate over the two matches.
With the away rule scrapped, the new rule will see the return of two 15-minute periods of extra-time followed by a penalty shootout if a winner has not been decided over two legs.
Also, the away goal rule has been removed from the criteria used to determine the rankings when two or more teams are equal on points in the group stage.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has explained that this new rule was done to remove any form of unfair advantage.
“The away goals rule has been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.
“However, the question of its abolition has been debated at various UEFA meetings over the last few years. Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished.”
Ceferin added: “The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams – especially in first legs – from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage.
“There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.”
“It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was,“ the UEFA President concluded.