To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Not now
OK
Advert
Advert
Advert

It's Been 30 Years Ago Since Peter Schmeichel And Denmark Exploited Back-Pass Rule And S***housed Their Way To Euro 1992 Triumph

Alex Reid

Published 
| Last updated 

It's Been 30 Years Ago Since Peter Schmeichel And Denmark Exploited Back-Pass Rule And S***housed Their Way To Euro 1992 Triumph

Denmark winning Euro 92 is an epic underdog story: but the way they did it involved such spectacular s**thousery that it actually rushed through a rule change in football.

Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel's time-wasting tactic of taking a back pass, waiting for an opponent to close him down, then scooping the ball up, is wonderful in its anti-football genius. And it was on full display throughout Euro 92.

Loading…

The Danes won the European Championship by upsetting France, the Netherlands and eventually Germany. In part by cunningly utilising the tedious plan of Manchester United legend Schmeichel rolling the ball to a defender, who would pass it back to the keeper, for him to pick up. Hypnotic.

Advert


Advert

Changing the back-pass rule to its modern format - where keepers aren't allowed to pick up deliberate passes from their teammates - came into effect for the 1992/93 season.

Introducing a new rule became a talking point after the 1990 World Cup, which featured a 2.2 goal-per-game ratio - the lowest ever seen at a World Cup. Players monotonously passing the ball back to the keeper was a regular theme of the group stages.

But Euro 92 proved the final nail in the coffin for the eyesore tactic, as the Danes even unleashed back passes from central midfield all the way to Schmeichel's waiting gloves in order to kill time.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy
Advert

After that showing, authorities scrambled to get the rule approved before the beginning of the 92/93 season.

That just so happened to be the first Premier League season and there was plenty of fun as strikers got their revenge by pressing nervous keepers suddenly being forced to use their feet from a back pass.

However there will still be a place in our heart for watching Schmeichel pass the ball to a teammate, receiving it back, forcing Jurgen Klinsmann to half-heartedly jog towards him... before just lifting the ball up in his giant Danish hands.

So gloriously negative they had to change the rules. What a legacy to leave.

Featured Image Credit: Image: UEFA

Topics: Denmark, Germany, Peter Schmeichel

Alex Reid
More like this
Advert
Advert
Advert

Chosen for YouChosen for You

Football

Referee Anthony Taylor mobbed by Roma fans at the airport

6 minutes ago

Most Read StoriesMost Read

Four reasons why Mason Mount is set to pick Man Utd over Liverpool including Cristiano Ronaldo factor

4 hours ago