Any alternative to the penalty shootout that places the emphasis back on football skill, will inevitably put some pressure back on the referee. So, I doubt there would be anyone involved with refereeing who is eager to see the shootout replaced.

In fact, it was actually a member of the FIFA Referees’ Committee who submitted the penalty kick shootout as a replacement for the coin toss in 1970 . And it’s a tiebreaker format that makes it virtually impossible for the referee to make a mistake that influences the outcome of the match.

However, without the clutter of bodies hindering visibility and with the referee always in close proximity to the play, refereeing mistakes during ADG should be rare. And as the players currently not competing must remain within the disused half of the field, it’s impossible for a group of players to surround and intimidate the referee.

Furthermore, two incidents that often result in contentious decisions, the offside law and whether a foul is committed inside or outside the penalty area, are not factors during ADG.

Another issue is when a goalkeeper moves off their goal line before the penalty is taken. Until recently, the Laws of the Game stated that the kick must be retaken and the goalkeeper cautioned.

However, it created so much controversy that IFAB were forced to modify the law. The goalkeeper will now receive a warning for the first offence, and only a second offence will result in a yellow card.

Indeed, the late great Johan Cruyff who played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and experienced the 35 yard shootout said, “With penalties you’ve always got problems about whether the goalkeeper moved. You don’t get this with the (NASL) shootout.”¹⁰ Likewise, in ADG a penalty only occurs when the attacker is fouled, so this problem will be much less frequent.

Finally, Video Assistant Referees (VAR) are helping referees with match-changing decisions. In fact, the natural stoppages within ADG ensure that VAR will be much less disruptive than during normal play.

So, while referees and their assistants will undoubtedly be under the microscope during ADG, the implications listed above will help to alleviate any additional pressure.

Of course, at the end of the day, you have to ask if any possible detriments outweigh the benefits. What ADG will deliver is spectacular and exhilarating goals. It’s due to the skill and grace of movement of the world’s great players that we call football the “beautiful game” and the reason why it’s the most popular sport on earth.

It’s also of course why legends of the sport like Messi, Ronaldo and Marta have continuously been rated as the world’s best players. If you’ve got a great product, then as the marketing people say, “let the product speak for itself.”