After 56 years of being part and parcel of the knock-out stages of European club competitions, UEFA has finally decided to get rid of the away goal rule. This very decision of UEFA has received a lot of criticism, but many have also stood behind it.
Usually, this rule came in handy in deciding the fate of the two-legged games in knock-out stages where both teams had scored the same number of goals. The team which had scored more goals in the opponent's home stadium went through to the next stage. The rule was first introduced during the second round of the 1965-66 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Now in such circumstances, an extra time period of 15 minutes each half will be given at the end of the second leg, and in situations where the fate of the match still remains undecided, penalty shootouts would be implemented in order to get a result.
The Home Advantage
The away goal rule was introduced with the very intention of giving the away side an incentive to play vigorously against the home side having the advantage of a familiar atmosphere as well as fan groups.
Hence, many have argued that the cancellation of the rule will result in less excitement. But the plus side here is the home teams needed to remain extra cautious so that they don't concede any goals which resulted in extra vigilance from them. Now, the home sides won't have to withstand that compulsion.
Qualification of the deserving team
This has been put forward as one of the strongest arguments in favour of abolishing the rule. Often, teams dominating games have to face elimination due to opponents scoring more goals in their home stadium.
A very recent example can be witnessed in this year's Champions League quarter-final between Bayern and PSG where Bayern, despite being the superior side in all possible statistics, had to go through elimination because of PSG's three away goals. Other games like the 2018-19 UCL quarter-final between Barcelona and Roma can also be a notable example in this regard.
The Coronavirus Pandemic
The pandemic scenario has hit football in the worst possible way. European Club competitions have mostly taken place with little to no spectators. The absence of fans in the stadium has significantly reduced home advantage. So, the decision of scrapping the away goal rule is beneficial for both teams at least during the pandemic.
The excitement factor
The away goal rule was the catalyst behind a lot of exciting and unprecedented events. The triumph of Roma over Barcelona could not have been possible without this rule. Hence, a lot of excitement can be killed due to the abolishment of the rule. But the introduction of penalty shootouts after normal time can compensate in this regard.
The scrapping of the away goal rule has both its advantages as well as drawbacks. The number of matches going to penalty shootouts will significantly increase in UEFA club competitions, something which was seldom seen previously due to the away goal rule, which will definitely mark a new era.
Rassiq Aziz Kabir is a student of Economics at the University of Dhaka.
