UEFA committee votes to scrap away goals rule

UEFA's club competitions committee have voted to end the away goals rule in European competitions.

The rule, which means any goals scored in the away leg of a knockout tie are worth extra in the event of a tie, was close to being scrapped in 2018 but is back on the chopping block again this year.

The Times first revealed earlier this week that UEFA officials fear the rule is outdated and no longer necessary, and now a second report has revealed that the club competitions committee has voted in favour of scrapping the rule.

The decision will now go to UEFA's Executive Committee, who will make the final decision over whether to keep the rule or not.

It was initially thought that the committee were prepared to bin the away goals rule if there was enough support from clubs, so it seems likely that UEFA will officially do away with the regulation in the near future.

"The view is that it is much easier to score an away goal now than it was in the Seventies and Eighties, when football was lower-scoring and stadiums were more hostile," a source is quoted as saying.

"There was less visibility surrounding a match in terms of refereeing, quality of the pitch and organisation, so home advantage is not so significant [now].”

UEFA had considered trying to meet in the middle with a funky new hybrid rule, which would see the rule apply either only in extra-time or only in normal time, but those proposals were quickly ignored amid fears it would be too complicated.

Calls to scrap the away goals rule are nothing new. Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wanted it gone in 2013 and UEFA gave it serious consideration in 2018, but it looks like it's finally going to happen.

The idea of binning the away goals rule has left fans divided. While there's an acknowledgement that the rule can be a little complicated, it does add an extra layer of excitement which you don't find in other competitions.

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