The former AC Milan and Netherlands forward who won the Ballon d’Or thrice was appointed the technical director of FIFA in September 2016 to oversee innovations in the ‘beautiful game’.
Here are the four most bizarre (read ludicrous) suggestions from the former World Player of the Year to make football more ‘honest, dynamic, interesting and attractive.’:
- ICE-HOCKEY STYLE SHOOTOUT
Marco van Basten’s proposed PK change: “Maybe the player should start 25 meters from goal.”
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) January 18, 2017
Basten’s suggestion puts an end to the thirty-minute extra time after a 90-minute stalemate. He would like to replace luck with sheer skill using an 8 second, 25 meters long dribbling towards the goalkeeper shootout similar to Ice-Hockey.
- ORANGE CARDS AND SIN BINS
Basten’s proposed Orange Card could be shown to a player who is not guilty enough of being sent off and would rather be placed in a sin bin for 10 minutes.
Van Basten wants to scrap the offside rule and introduce sin bins to football, you’ve been hit in the head with a hockey puck too hard mate — Dan Ovenden (@dan_ovenden) January 18, 2017
- NO OFFSIDES
Comparing football with handball talking about instances that see 9-10 players packing the penalty area, Van Basten suggested that a match of football without offsides could be visually appealing providing teams with more chances to score a goal.
- A GAME OF FOUR QUARTERS
Football is a tireless sport with 90 gripping minutes of continuous action and just 15-minute break at the 45-minute mark. The Dutchman, however, suggests having quarters in the game would give some respite to the players and more chances to the managers to interact with the team and alter the course of the game.
Has Van Basten been smoking crack? He’s made some utterly barmy suggestions.
— Stü (@SmallHandStu) January 18, 2017
