So what is the alternative? Here, I believe, FIFA has been decidedly uncreative. They might just as well flip a coin as do penalty kicks. They tried golden goal for a spell, but soccer being what it is (generally low scoring) is not really amenable to sudden death, as is a sport like hockey (and even hockey has been known to go an extra 4 periods before a conclusion. So, what is really needed is some way to keep the game going, using the players' skill while harnessing a sudden death scenario.
What I propose is a kind of "Attrition Golden Goal". The teams play as now, 2 x 45 minutes then 2 x 15 minutes. If there is no winner by then, they enter my AGG. What happens is that there is a 5 minute break to prepare; any substitutions are made at that time and, very importatly, the coaches prepare an ordered list of each player who will be on the field. Play then resumes with no stoppages (except fouls) until the end. To ensure it doesn't continue indefinitely, every 5 minutes a specific whistle is blown. The two players at the top of each coaches list then have 20 seconds to leave the field (for their information, their numbers are posted on the substitution boards). If they fail to leave in the appropriate time, they are red-carded and an additional player, next on the list, is sent off (hence 3, not 2, would go off for a failure of one to leave on time, 2 that were supposed to and the red-carded player). I can't help but imagine the finish of goal keeper against goalkeeper, mano-a-mano! Although I imagine most games would end long before that.
This would, therefore, not only be a battle of attrition but also of strategy in the creation of the coach's list. Who to leave on when, how many attackers, how many defence, speed versus skill, fresh versus tired... This ending would be dramatic and relatively quick (10 players would be off after 25 minutes) and it would ensure a fast and honest conclusion for the game that befits a sport like soccer. Best of all, we would no longer need penalty kicks.
Void Surfer
