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Elite Club Coaches Ask UEFA To Review Away Goals Ruling

Elite Club Coaches Ask UEFA To Review Away Goals Ruling

The away goals has long caused mass debate...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

A slew of the best coaches in Europe have called for UEFA to review the away goals ruling it currently uses for continental competitions like the Champions League and Europa League.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, Arsenal boss Unai Emery, Emery's predecessor Arsene Wenger, Juventus' Massimiliano Allegri, Real Madrid's Julen Lopetegui, Carlo Ancelotti of Napoli, Paris St-Germain's Thomas Tuchel and Newcastle United's Rafa Benitez were among those present for the annual Elite Coaches forum in Switzerland.

And the managers made the suggestion that UEFA look at away goals closely. The rule first came in back in 1965 in the now defunct European Cup Winners' Cup competition, offering a different solution coin-tossing and replays to decide outcomes of tied games.

For years it's been a topic that has brought mass debate. You go out on away goals, you think it's unfair and the worst idea ever - it's the opposite if you go through.

But many top-tier coaches have the feeling that it's counter-productive and affects the approach teams take in knockout fixtures, hence the recommendation to UEFA.

"The coaches think that scoring goals away is not as difficult as it was in the past," Uefa deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti revealed after the meeting.

"They think the rule should be reviewed and that's what we will do."

Marchetti also said the coaches put forward their case for the transfer window to be closed at the same time for all teams in Europe, which was of course not the case this year.

"The coaches are of an opinion that there should be a unified window and the window should close before the competition starts," he added.

"The idea would be to try and bring them into line."

Would you be in favour of these changes if UEFA acted on the coaches recommendations?

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Topics: Football News, Football, Europa League, UEFA, Champions League