Wenger s new offside rule? Courtois: Some teams throw-ins can take up to 30 seconds, so they should be addressed as a priority

 7:59pm, 21 October 2025

When Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois attended the pre-match press conference for the Champions League today, he was asked about the new offside rule implemented by Arsenal's legendary coach Wenger.

Courtois said: "I'm not sure this is the most necessary reform at the moment. I think the issue of wasted game time...Although the goalkeeper's kick-off is now limited by the 8-second rule, some teams can consume 30 seconds for throw-ins. These situations should be rectified as a priority.

"I agree that 1 millimeter of offside has no real benefit to the offense. But I don’t know how VAR can accurately lock the frame rate to judge millimeter-level offside. Can changing the rules really increase goals? Where should the so-called reasonable advantages be drawn? "

The new offside rule implemented by Wenger↓

Only when the offensive player's body is completely in front of the second-to-last defensive player, it will be called offside. This means that if any part of the player's body overlaps, it will not be called offside.