Netherlands consider scrapping offside in amateur football to end violent rows

The Dutch football association (KNVB) is considering doing away with the offside law in the amateur game to limit the rising number of matches halted because of aggression over disputed decisions.

The KNVB said abolishing offsides at the lower levels of the game, where there are no KNVB officials and matches are flagged by club members, could lead to an end to the threats and violence in amateur football in the country.

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The KNVB director Jan Dirk van der Zee said it had to do something about the problem of fighting over refereeing decisions. Last season, 1,864 matches were stopped because of violent incidents, an increase of 11% compared with the previous season and up 58% over a five-year period.

“It is true that it is a relatively small number compared to the almost 780,000 matches that are played annually, but we are not going to trivialise it,” he said. “We have a problem and we want to eradicate it. I do not rule out that we will one day stop using assistant referees.”

A Dutch assistant referee officiating at his son’s youth football match in 2012 died after being kicked and beaten by several players, who were 15 and 16 years old.

In July, the KNVB brought in a new measure for this season that stipulated only captains would be able to ask the referee to explain a decision. The rule was introduced at this summer’s European Championships, and was also in force at the Olympics in Paris, with positive results.

The KNVB said it believed stopping players surrounding the referee would produce better behaviour on and off the pitch at all levels of the game. “Good sportsmanship and respect are important core values.”