Thierry Henry has proposed some new rules in football to enhance the beauty of the game. Speaking on CBS Sport during the coverage of the Champions League semi-final between AC Milan and Inter Milan, Henry revealed his views on time-wasting issues, the importance of goals, the substitution rules and other important aspects of the sport. He also suggested increasing the transparency between the referee and the footballers on the pitch. Henry further called out club officials responsible for recruiting new players, saying they should scout a player for a long time before signing him. According to the former France striker, these modifications can bring a better future for football.
While discussing the time-wasting issue, Henry dished out a reference to a rule in rugby. He said that if a team is wasting time on purpose, the referee should award the opposition side a free kick from “25 yards away from the goal.” “When a team refuses to play, the referee can give a free-kick just like in rugby. You can put the ball wherever you want. Just play football and that’s my rule,” the footballer-turned-pundit explained.
A perfect poacher during his playing days, Thierry Henry believes that football lawmakers should give more importance to goals. According to the Arsenal great, teams who score three goals in a match should receive one bonus point. Similar to this equation, teams will get two extra points if they strike six goals. Interestingly, if this rule was in effect, Manchester City would earn 20 extra points this season in the Premier League owing to their goal-scoring spree.
Henry thinks the referee should have a mic while on the pitch and a media interaction for the officials should be mandatory after every game. “Referees are sometimes not very courteous, therefore I want to hear what you have to say. We want to tell you how great you were occasionally, so if you could please describe your faults or your greatness,” the 45-year-old said.
Moreover, Thierry Henry proposed introducing a temporary substitution rule to prevent teams from playing with 10 men when one player is taking medical attention at the sideline. This issue was previously raised by the Premier League officials but failed to get the seal of approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
In the end, Henry said that sporting directors should do a proper background check on a player before appointing him to a new club. The World Cup-winning striker said, “I’ve seen a lot of players travel to new clubs without anyone knowing whether they will be able to adjust.”