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Thierry Henry proposes five new rules to improve football
Published 14:52 11 May 2023 BST
Updated 14:52 11 May 2023 BST
Homesport
A few of these will cause controversy
Thierry Henry has revealed five new rules that he thinks football should implement to improve the quality of games.
Football has seen many new additions in recent years from spray foam for free kicks, goal line technology and of course, VAR, however the Arsenal legend believes the beautiful game can be made even better.
Speaking on CBS Sports' coverage of the Champions League, Henry offered his five ways to improve football.
End Time Wasting
"When a team refuses to play - time-wasting, kicking the ball out - the referee can give a free-kick just like in rugby 25 yards away from goal, you can put the ball wherever you want. Just play football, that's my rule."
One that everyone could get on board with.
Earning points for scoring goals
Henry wants teams to be rewarded with an extra point if they score three plus goals in a game - regardless of the result.
To put that into perspective, if the Frenchman's proposal existed already, Leicester would have received a point in their 5-3 defeat against Fulham, despite losing.
Hearing from the referees more
This is a rule that people have been crying out for over the years and it's no surprise to hear another banging the drum for it to be introduced.
"Referees have to come after the game and talk to the press, please, and wear a mic also," he explained.
"I want to hear what you say because they [referees] are not that polite sometimes, I wasn't also at times.
"Please can you explain your mistakes or how great you were, we want to tell you how great you were sometimes or how bad you are like people used to tell us."
"What used to bother me is when there was no explanation, they would just go and hide."
More caution with transfers
"You don't buy a house without visiting it. You go in the morning, you go at night, you hear the noise," Henry added.
"I've seen so many players arrive at places without anyone knowing if they could adapt at the place.
"Do you know what he's about? Do you know his background?"
Temporary substitutions
The former forward feels that in order to stop teams from going down to 10 players when someone is injured and requires treatment, Henry would like to see a temporary substitute introduced so that they can remain even.
It is an idea that was one proposed by the Premier League to the IFAB, but they rejected the idea and blocked it.
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