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Pele calls for ban on walls

JamesTheYiddo

Well-Known Member
Oct 25, 2006
6,339
124
Pele has called on world governing body FIFA to ban defending teams setting up walls after conceding free-kicks close to the box.



Brazil World Cup legend believes it is unfair for sides to be allowed to get so many players behind the ball when a striker may have been denied a clearer goalscoring chance.

Pele, widely recognised as the game's greatest player, scored more than 1,000 goals in a glittering career that included three World Cup wins.

The 67-year-old said: "You can debate changing the rules of football.

"There is one rule I have debated at FIFA. As a forward, the wall - I don't know why they have not banned the wall from the game.

"The forward gets the ball from the midfield, dribbles for one-two or passes three or four players but when you get close to the goal, the last defender makes a foul.

"After you have passed all the players, one guy makes a foul and then you have the whole team in the wall against you again. It is not fair.

"It is one rule I don't understand, as a forward, why they didn't ban."

Pele would also have no objections to using video technology to help the referee on the field make decisions.

He said: "The big issue is, do you use technology? This is life. You cannot stop because life is changing and the world continues."

Pele is currently visiting England as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the world's oldest club, Sheffield FC.


Would simply be allowing teams half a chance at goal, i say no. Keep Wall's.
 

thejames

Large Member
May 26, 2007
1,315
850
The issue shouldn't be with the walls, it should be with effectively punishing players that foul. If the last man pulls the forward down then putting them down to 10 men is a huge penalty.

Besides, with a decent FK-taker on the ball (sit down Jermaine...) the wall becomes largely irrelevant.
 

roguepsi

SC's Sexiest Male™ (retired)
Jun 21, 2005
4,388
0
*slides in*

How does he expect to keep his ceilings up?

*slides out*
 

millhouse

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2003
3,607
328
If you banned the team defending the free kick from putting up a wall then the attacking team would just put up a wall.

The wall helps the free kick taker no end
 

MarkTHFC9

Banned
Jun 14, 2006
2,026
1
Then it would just be chaos as there would be an open space instead of a defensive line.

Nutter
 

Stoof

THERE IS A PIGEON IN MY BANK ACCOUNT
Staff
Jun 5, 2004
32,219
64,273
It would be like a huge penalty kick. :lol:

It would be hilarious.

He always hated walls, you know. He could never get it up. :wink:
 

The Apprentice

Charles Big Potatoes
Mar 10, 2005
11,143
15,618
It would be like a huge penalty kick. :lol:

It would be hilarious.

He always hated walls, you know. He could never get it up. :wink:


:-| My mates inundated me with leaflets and subscriptions bearing Pele's name. I literally had sacks of them turning up each day. " Do you have erection problems?" Had to contact them to take me off the subscription list.

Wankers.
 

PantherX

Active Member
Feb 2, 2004
557
39
*slides in*

How does he expect to keep his ceilings up?

*slides out*

You just need posts at each corner to keep the ceiling up, walls are optional.

The bigger problem would be keeping the kids and old people from wandering into the street....I'm guessing some kind of net.
 

speccy_spur

Active Member
Aug 2, 2005
1,192
0
Oh dear, I think all that erectile disfunction medicine has effected Pele's brain. What a bizarre thing to say. How would the ref enforce this, what defines "a wall"? If two defending players stand within two yards of each other is that an offence? Three yards?
 

Bill_Oddie

Everything in Moderation
Staff
Feb 1, 2005
19,120
6,003
2 weeks ago, we played in a pre-season 7-a-side tourny (Runners-Up, I'll have you know :grin: ) and in the final, the ref stopped us forming a wall.

We were going fucking apeshit at him, and eventually had to get the assistant to come over as we were threatening to walk off the pitch at this outrageous piece of bias (sadly it does happen against expat sides - although usually because we give officials such abuse and whinge like bitches all the time). The ref did finally allow us the wall - but it had to be 10 yards back...for 7-a-side. Cock.


Anyway, I didn't recognise him at the time, but maybe...
 
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