Legendary referee Pierluigi Collina wants huge penalty rule change brought in and discussions are officially underway
Legendary referee Pierluigi Collina has suggested a massive rule change involving how penalties are taken.
Italian Collina is often regarded as the greatest referee in the history of the game, having been named 'The World's Best Referee' six times in a row between 1998 and 2003.
Since retiring in 2005, Collina continues to be involved in football and has held roles as such consultant to the Italian Football Referee Association, Head of Referees for the Football Federation of Ukraine and he is also a member of the UEFA Referees Committee and Chairman of the FIFA referees committee.
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Speaking recently, the 64 year-old believes that the way penalties are taken during the game should be changed as the current rules are too in favour of the attacking team.
He said to Repubblica: "I believe there is an excessive gap between the opportunities available to the attacker and those of the goalkeeper.
"On average, 75% of penalties are already scored, and often, the penalty kick is a bigger chance than the one taken away by the foul. On top of that, the attacker is also given a chance to play the rebound off the goalkeeper. In my opinion, goalkeepers should be complaining."
Collina continued: "I’ve already mentioned this in discussions we’ve had at IFAB. One solution is the ‘one shot’ rule. Just like in penalty shootouts after extra time.
"No rebound. Either you score or play resumes with a goal kick, period. This would also eliminate the spectacle we see before a penalty is taken, with everyone crowding around the area. It looks like horses at the starting gates before the Palio di Siena."
Penalties are often an important part of football as they give teams the perfect chance to score from a relatively short distance.
Would you like to see Collina's suggested rule change brought in? Let us know in the comments section below.
Marcus Chan