Amid the global debate over the so-called Wenger Law, Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini proposed a revolutionary change in football: applying a rule inspired by basketball. The idea, which aims to energize the game and make it more offensive, arises while the football world discusses the possibility of modifying how offside is measured.

Get 20% off UEFA Champions League broadcasts in Spanish on DAZN.

Arsene Wenger, former Arsenal manager and current FIFA director of development, has been pushing for years for a reform that would allow goals to be validated even if part of the attacker's body is in line with the defender, with the aim of making the game more exciting. However, not all coaches are convinced. Pellegrini, the Real Betis coach, was one of the most critical voices and offered his own perspective after the 2-0 victory over Olympique Lyonnais in the Europa League.

“I think the offside law is correct at the moment. Whether it's a little more or a little less… And with VAR, it's much easier to avoid mistakes. Then, we'll start seeing if it's the whole body or not. That's getting into a problem,” the Chilean explained in a press conference.

A “basketball-style” proposal to make football more dynamic

Far from focusing on offside adjustments, the “Engineer” proposed a modification inspired by another sport: “Perhaps there are other rules that can be modified that would improve football, such as: when the ball crosses into the opponent's half, the player cannot return to their own half.”

Pellegrini argued that such a measure “would make football much more dynamic, closer to the goal.” "opposite," encouraging attacks and reducing pauses in the game. Although I have acknowledged that international bodies are responsible for evaluating such changes, I have stressed that the focus should be on making football more entertaining and attractive for fans. The Chilean's proposal comes just as FIFA and IFAB are about to vote on the application of the Wenger Law.possibly starting with the 2026 World Cup.This reform has already been tested in experimental tournaments in Sweden and Italy, where a 10% increase in goals and a reduction in VAR review times were recorded, results that brought it back to the international agenda. Pellegrini, 72, is also experiencing an important moment in his career. Not only is he the manager with the most matches in Betis history—272 to date—but he also keeps open the possibility of managing the Chilean national team in the future. “I would like to manage Chile in a World Cup, both because of the country and the World Cup itself, but I am neither closer to Chile nor further from Betis,” he stated.