The Union of European Football Association (UEFA) in a statement today June 24, 2021 has announced the abolishing of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions.
A UEFA statement read: “Following the recommendation of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and the UEFA Women’s Football Committee, the UEFA Executive Committee has today approved a proposal to remove the so-called away goals rule from all UEFA club competitions (men, women and youth) as of the qualifying phases of the 2021-22 competitions.”
UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin explained that the rule now “runs counter to its original purpose” and stated that it dissuades teams from playing attacking football, hence the decision to abolish it.
He also pointed out that there is also criticism of 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.”
Mr Ceferin however, noted that taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to a decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home.
Meanwhile, the away goals rule was applied to determine the winner of two-legged knockout tie in cases where the two teams had scored the same number of goals on aggregate over the two matches. In such cases, the team which had scored the highest number of goals away from was considered the winner of the tie and qualified for the next round of the competition. If the two teams had scored the same number of goals at home and away from home at the end of normal playing time in the second leg, extra time was played, followed by kicks from penalty mark if no goals was scored.
What will happen now if the scores are level?
UEFA has announced that, as is common in many elite level football competitions across the world, if the scores are still level over a two-legged knockout tie there will be two 15-minute periods of extra time.
Should the teams score the same number of goals, or if no further goals are scored, during extra time, a penalty shootout will take place to determine which team will go through to the next round.
The away goals rule has led to some memorable moments in knockout ties, particularly in the Champions League, over the years.
Tottenham’s 3-2 win over Ajax in Amsterdam saw them advance to the final of the competition in 2018-19 via away goals, having also beaten Manchester City by the same method in the quarter-final.
An official UEFA statement confirming the news that the away goals rule would no longer be used actively highlights the fact there has been a reduction in home wins, and goals, in UEFA club competitions.
The statement read: “Statistics from the mid-1970s until now show a clear trend of continuous reduction in the gap between the number of home/away wins (from 61%/19% to 47%/30%) and the average number of goals per match scored at home/away (from 2.02/0.95 to 1.58/1.15) in men’s competitions.”
The away goals rule has been in place since the 1965-66 season, when it was used in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Many have been advocating for its removal from UEFA club competitions, with former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone having been against it.
Their argument was that the rule was restrictive to those playing at home, especially in the first leg of knockout ties, and that scoring goals away from home almost counted for double.
Meanwhile, the major UEFA competitions to be affected are the Champions League and Europa League
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