Netherlands Considers Scrapping Offside Rule in Amateur Football to Curb Violence
The Netherlands’ main football authority, the KNVB, is considering abolishing the offside rule in amateur football as a potential solution to the increasing number of matches halted due to aggressive disputes over decisions.
The KNVB believes that eliminating the offside rule at the lower levels, where matches are typically officiated by club members rather than KNVB officials, could help reduce the growing instances of threats and violence in amateur football.
Jan Dirk van der Zee, the KNVB director, expressed concern over the rise in violence, stating that the number of amateur matches halted due to disorder has been steadily increasing. Last season, 1,864 matches were stopped due to violent incidents, marking an 11% rise compared to the previous season and a 58% increase over the past five years.
“It is true that it is a relatively small number compared to the almost 780,000 matches that are played annually, but we are not going to trivialise it,” Van der Zee said at a press conference. “We have a problem, and we want to eradicate it. I do not rule out that we will one day stop using assistant referees.”
