IFAB held talks over changing the penalty coin toss system this week, raising the possibility the process could be changed from the 2027/28 campaign.
As highlighted by Daily Cannon this week, Fleetwood Town’s penalty shootout victory over Arsenal on Tuesday was the latest in a long run of Gunners shootouts where the team that has won the coin toss to determine the end of the pitch has also won the coin toss to determine the first taker.
Arsenal’s last seven shootouts have involved the same team winning both coin tosses. On three occasions, that was Arsenal. On four occasions, it was their opponents. On all seven occasions, the team to win the coin toss also won the shootout.
It was the same story again on Wednesday, as Manchester City and Liverpool both won their two coin tosses against Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea, and they then both went on to win their shootouts.
The system seems to provide an unfair advantage in cases where one team wins both flips, but fortunately, the International Football Association Board are looking into it.
FIFA held talks with IFAB over the summer about changing the system to use just one coin flip, with the winner picking either the end or the first taker (not both). At the time, the organisations decided to delay any rule alterations mid-World Cup.
But the review of the system remains ongoing, with IFAB confirming this week that the proposal was supported in their latest meeting on Tuesday, as it is believed it would bring greater fairness.
Considering the positive support for the change, it is likely to be discussed again at IFAB’s next Annual Business Meeting in January. That would then lay the groundwork for the new system’s implementation in 2027/28.
Unfortunately, the change will come a bit too late for Arsenal, who lost the Champions League final to PSG after losing both coin tosses. It was that game that prompted FIFA to look into the change to begin with.
Whether Arsenal would have won the shootout by taking first, or by taking in front of the Arsenal support, we’ll never know. But it seems only fair to split the two advantages in future.
- IFAB back proposal to change rules on penalty coin tossIFAB held talks over changing the penalty coin toss system this week, raising the possibility the process could be changed from the 2027/28 campaign.
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