Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann warned that the Canadian Premier League could regret adopting Arsene Wenger‘s offside rule. The CPL made the decision to adopt the rule and experiment with it for the 2026 season. Hamman argues that the decision could create several problems for clubs and officials.
The CPL launched in 2019, and the quality of play has continued to evolve since then. Clubs have celebrated milestones, including defeating MLS sides in the Canadian Championship and an upset victory over a Liga MX side in CONCACAF play.
While the league is still in its early stages of development, it has experimented with different formats. Now, it will once again try something new as it tests out Wenger’s offside rule.
Wenger’s offside rule benefits the attackers rather than the defenders. Under his rule, an attacking player is only ruled offside when he has entirely past the last defender. Previously, players were ruled offside once any part of their body moved past the last defender.
Wenger proposed the rule in hopes of improving the flow of matches and increase scoring.
Dietmar Hamann Not Happy with Arsene Wenger’s Offside Rule Being Adopted in the CPL
Despite the goal of the former Arsenal manager’s rule, Dietmar Hamann said he feels bad for Canadian players and CPL supporters. He said the rule will change the game beyond just scoring and defending.
“I feel for the people in Canada, I think this is utter nonsense. We’ve got to give defenders a chance. Years ago, if you were at the same level, you were offside. They changed it so the same level is not offside for the center-forward,” Hamann told BOYLE Sports. “Now, you could potentially be a yard or a yard-and-a-half in front and in a running motion, even if your leg is behind. You could be running and be a yard, or after half a second, you could be five yards ahead of the defender.”
Hamann argued that the rule is designed to give strikers more advantages to score, which he feels is unfair for defenders. In doing so, he believes scoring will get out of hand, which diminishes the competitiveness and overall enjoyment.
“I don’t want games to finish 8-5 or 8-6. This is not football. We’re not playing handball, we’re not playing basketball. I’ve seen great 0-0 [matches], but we won’t see them anymore,” he said.
Ex-Liverpool Star Hamann Concerned About Potential Impact of Wenger’s Offside Rule
Hamann also expressed concern for Wenger’s offside rule if other leagues adopt it. The former Liverpool midfielder explained how the rule could favor top clubs while putting others at a disadvantage.
The CPL currently operates under a salary cap and has eight clubs, which helps maintain parity. However, many top leagues in Europe have a large gap between the top clubs and those at the bottom of the table.
As a result, there could be a significant decline in upsets should those leagues adopt the rule.
“[Wenger’s offside rule also] favors the superior team because they will play more in the opposition’s half. There will be more situations where the superior team will have 30 entries into the last 20 yards, while the underdog will have 10 or five,” Hamann told BOYLE Sports.
He added:
“I don’t want to see this, I want a level playing field which gives the underdog a chance to beat the favorites,” Hamann said. “It’s complete and utter nonsense.”
Ex-Liverpool Star Warns CPL Will Regret Adopting Arsene Wenger’s Offside Rule