UEFA scrap away goals rule for all club competitions
The rule, used since 1965, decided to draw two-legged games by favouring the team that scored the most away goals. All ties level on aggregate at the end of the second leg will instead go to extra time and potentially penalties.
"It is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight," said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin. Uefa's club competitions committee proposed in May, and the body's executive committee has now approved it.
It means games in the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League and Women's Champions League will no longer use the rule. Uefa says there is now a smaller gap between the number of home and away wins and home and away goals scored in European competitions than when the rule was introduced, reducing home advantage.
It says that is down to many factors including pitch quality, improved stadium infrastructure and new technology such as the video assistant referee."The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams - especially in first legs - from attacking because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage," Ceferin added.
"There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored."It is fair to say that home advantage is now no longer as significant as it once was."
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