Radical idea to change World Cup penalty shoot-outs is gaining momentum - but not everybody agrees
There have been plenty of big changes at the World Cup this summer but fans have come up with a radical idea which could change the game entirely.
Football's biggest tournament has already thrown up plenty of dramatic and controversial moments, many of which have included some of the new features introduced by FIFA.
We've seen former Newcastle United star Miguel Almiron sent off simply for covering his mouth, while the less said about the hydration breaks the better.
But it seems as if a lot of viewers now want to revamp something which is beloved amongst football fans across the globe, so long as the team you support aren't involved.
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That's right, it's the penalty shootout. We England fans haven't exactly had great success when it comes to deciding a match via this route, with the Euro 2020 final, or the infamous Italia 90.
The great thing about penalties is that they are never a foregone conclusion and anyone can win, as Paraguay showed last night with the usually unflappable Germans losing a World Cup shootout for the first time in their history.
However, despite that exciting upset, it appears as if a lot of folks online are arguing that the game shouldn't have been decided in that matter and that a penalty shootout should actually come before extra-time.
Since the Netherlands' game against Morocco was also decided on penalties after a disappointing extra time period, there seems to be a consensus that those extra 30 minutes don't have enough jeopardy, since neither side wants to make a mistake that leads to them losing the game.
It is suggested then that the loser in the penalty shootout has to score in the following period of extra-time, as otherwise they'll be sent home as the losers of the shootout. While this might add a little drama, it's probably fair to suggest that the winners of the shootout would have no reason to go for a goal and would likely just defend and waste time for that 30-minute period.
One fan wrote: "There are far too many shootouts deciding games now. Keep the penalties, but have them before playing extra time, and if it’s still a draw AET, the winner of the shootout goes through. That way you get half an hour of football where someone HAS to score."
Another suggested: "Play the penalty shootout straight after 90 mins.
"The winner of the shootout gets a 0.5 goal lead going into 30 mins of extra time.
"Now the team that lost the pens has a chance to win and crucially, no matter score, there is one team that has to go for it at all times, making extra time fun too."
The comments under those posts suggest that there's a lot of people who do agree that a change is needed, but it would be a surprise to see FIFA introduce something so radical.
This is probably where football twitter would use that image of Sean Dyche standing in front of a green wall because the concept of a 0.5 lead is probably too much for fans to take.
We of course used to have a golden goal until 2002, where a team had to score in extra-time, but those of a certain age will remember those games being pretty boring in extra-time as well.
Personally, the fact that Paraguay held Germany for 120 minutes means that they probably deserved the chance to win on penalties, even if they didn't play with a style that everyone enjoyed.
Plus, you're also taking some of the drama away from the penalty shootout, as if the extra time does finish as a draw, then that's just the game over immediately over and fans don't have a chance to celebrate something that happened 30 minutes ago.
There's no doubt that there are some changes which are required to get football back to the beautiful game we all love, but until England lose a game on penalties at this World Cup, I reckon most fans are happy to stick with the traditional rules for now.
James Moorhouse