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| Datum : 30/08/2001 |
| Titel : Nieuw artikel |
| Top European soccer coaches feel golden goal must be abolished By ERICA BULMAN - Associated Press Writer
GENEVA (AP) _ Europe's top soccer coaches unanimously agreed Thursday that the golden goal needed to be abolished, calling it unsporting and declaring it was affecting the game.
At UEFA's third Elite Coaches Forum, 13 of Europe's most prominent coaches gathered for four hours to exchange views and offer suggestions about the future of the sport in Europe, discussing a series of hot issues from the controversial golden goal to ways to cope with an overcrowded calendar.
The coaches unanimously agreed that ending a match with a golden goal was "untidy and an ugly way to finish a match," said UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh, who chaired the meeting.
"It's like getting up and leaving the table before dinner is finished," said Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier. "As a group we feel it is unsporting. You should have a chance to come back within a certain time frame.
"In addition, it changes the approach of the game. It doesn't encourage an offensive game but rather a defensive game. Nearly all the games in the final are decided with a golden goal now. It's become the norm."
The last two European championship finals were decided by a golden goal. At the Euro 2000 final last summer, France won in the 13th minute against Italy.
According to proposals made Thursday, Italy should have had two minutes to respond.
The group proposed a first 15-minute session of extra time, played out in full, and then another if the game was still not decided. If necessary, a penalty shootout would break a tie at the end of 30 minutes.
The group also discussed problems the Champions League was encountering due to a heavily loaded calendar.
"The Champions League is caught between domestic and national team programs," Roxburgh said. "There needs to be a common sense link between them. The demands are high on coaches and the squad. It's a marathon now."
To help teams deal with the heavy schedule, the group called for more double headers when it came to international competition so clubs would not repeatedly lose their players. It also suggested the first match be played Friday or Saturday and the second Tuesday instead of Wednesday so players can return to their clubs earlier.
"That would give them an extra day to rest before having to travel Friday to their next domestic venue," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "That extra day's rest would make an enormous difference."
In another effort to help teams cope, coaches are hoping UEFA will agree to increase the number of players available on the bench from 18 to 20 as well as the number of substitutions during a match from three to five.
Three substitutions would be carried out as usual while the other two would be made at halftime in order not to disrupt the game.
The coaches group also debated various ways to improve what they felt was an unfair yellow card system.
"It's pretty harsh when a player gets two yellow cards early on and 18 games later gets another and misses the final," Houllier said. "We're looking for a way not just to punish bad behavior but reward good behavior.
"For example a player gets a yellow card and then after five games it gets dropped. Or maybe you get banned if you have three yellow cards in 10 games."
Though the suggestions aroused excitement, any changes would not be for tomorrow, warned Roxburgh. The group first needs to submit finalized proposals to UEFA Chief Executive Gerhard Aigner, who will then take it to UEFA's various committees. If deemed appropriate, the proposals would then go to UEFA's executive committee for a final ruling.
(eb) 301526 aug 01GMT |
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