10 Sep 2010FIFA World Cup extra-time 'could be scrapped'

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance

Extra-time periods could be scrapped from the FIFA World Cup or the controversial "golden goal" rule reintroduced, under new proposals recently outlined by president Sepp Blatter.

The 74-year-old suggested the changes could help to encourage more attacking and free-flowing football, after the quality of the recent FIFA World Cup in South Africa received strong criticism from football fans and pundits alike.

"We have to try to find a way to encourage free-flowing football in tournaments," he explained. "Often we see teams set themselves up even more defensively in extra time, in an attempt to avoid conceding a goal at all costs."

Blatter lamented the rise of "strategic" football and claimed some teams in this summer's tournament had played for a draw from kick-off, adding that he intends to raise the matter with FIFA's Football and Technical Committee.

Earlier this month, a study of 1,000 supporters conducted by the Football Fans Census and reported in the Independent ranked the 2010 FIFA World Cup tenth out of 11 international competitions.

Written by Paul Roberts

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