Football may introduce 'penalty goals', similar to rugby's penalty try

Luis Suarez' handball in the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter final for Uruguay has inspired possible changes to football laws. Photo / Getty

Football could bring in 'penalty goals' - similar to rugby union's penalty try - in a bid to stop rule-breaking like the handball committed by Luis Suarez at the 2010 World Cup.

Suarez handled the ball on the line in the closing moments of a quarter-final against Ghana, and despite being sent off, he ensured his side's progress as Asamoah Gyan blasted the penalty over, and Uruguay won in the shoot-out.

But now football's lawmakers are looking at a way to prevent that situation arising again, with the Suarez incident cited as a perfect example of when a penalty goal could be awarded.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is currently reviewing the laws of the game, and has already made wide-ranging changes, which will come into play for Euro 2016.

However, the 'penalty goal' would be part of the next wave of changes, as IFAB's technical director, former referee David Elleray, says that his priorities for after the European Championships are to look at penalty goals and conduct a close examination of the handball rule.

This will go in step with the advances of video technology. Elleray will represent the FA next week at a workshop in Amsterdam involving 15 other nations interested in extending the use of video technology.

They are in the process of defining the practical introduction of further technology, debating what sort of incidents might be refereed with video assistance and who will do it.

Elleray believes the FA may be ready to extend trials by the start of next year.

More immediately, England will test the changes to come in this June when they take on Australia and Turkey in Euro 2016 warm-up games.

The biggest change - one of special interest to Joe Hart and other goalkeepers - concerns an attempt to remove the controversial triple punishment for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO).

A foul inside the penalty area which prevents a clear goal-scoring opportunity, like the one committed by Thibaut Courtois against Manchester City last month, will no longer result in an automatic red card.

Other rule changes coming in include:

- Players to have a brief spell of medical treatment without leaving the pitch - if the foul committed on them was worthy of a card.

- Offside free-kicks will be taken from where the offence takes place rather than where the player was when he was first flagged offside.

- Another concerns players returning to the pitch after leaving for an equipment change. They will no longer have to wait for a break in play.

- Injured players off the pitch behind the goal become inactive after one phase of play.

- Outside interference in the game by substitutes or staff will be punishable with a direct free-kick (upgraded from an indirect free-kick).

- The referee's scope for disciplinary action has been extended to take in the warm-up and pre-match tunnel area, whereas before it was when the teams came out for the game.

- The kick-off will no longer have to go forwards, it can now be passed backwards.

- Several technical changes to the penalty shoot-out, including a rule to clarify that the penalty is not over until the ball has stopped moving, which followed a major controversy in the Moroccan Cup final when the goalkeeper saved a penalty and ran off to celebrate as the ball spun back into the net.

These changes - together with other minor technical alterations and changes to equipment rules involving corner flags and socks - are all part of Elleray's Revision of the Laws of the Game which has streamlined the rules for the modern game.