Manuel Pellegrini didn’t shy away from controversy. After Betis beat Lyon 2–0 in the Europa League, the Chilean coach defended a bold change to soccer’s rules: preventing a team from passing the ball back into its own half after crossing midfield. According to him, the idea is already being reviewed by specialists.
“I think there are other rules that could be modified to make soccer better, like preventing the ball from returning to your own half after crossing midfield. That would make the game more dynamic. Experts are looking into it. We need to make it more interesting and dynamic, and to do that, we need to stay closer to the opponent’s goal,” said Pellegrini.
The suggestion, which resembles basketball’s system, came as a surprise. In that sport, a team has eight seconds to move the ball across half court and can’t go back once it does. If they fail, possession switches to the opponent. The idea is to keep the game fast and attacking, without long pauses or endless passing exchanges.
Pellegrini wants to apply that same logic to soccer, but the impact would be huge. Ball possession, one of the pillars of the modern game, would no longer exist as we know it. Tactics built on slow buildup and rhythm control, like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, Barcelona, and many others around the world, would be forced to change. The philosophy of building from the back would lose its meaning if passing back became illegal.
Between boldness and exaggeration
The comparison with basketball grabs attention but also raises doubts. Soccer is played on a much larger field, with completely different timing and flow. A pitch stretches over 100 meters, while a basketball court is less than 30. Forcing constant forward play without the chance to reset would make the sport physically heavier and tactically limited.
Recent changes already show an effort to make the game faster. FIFA, for instance, began punishing goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds. Now, if that limit is exceeded, the referee awards a corner kick to the opposing team. It’s a more realistic measure that reduces time-wasting without disrupting the game’s structure.
Soccer needs to evolve, but with balance
Even Pellegrini admits not every rule should be changed. When asked about offside, the coach was straightforward: “It’s hard to give an opinion. I think the offside rule, for me, is fine right now. And with VAR, it’s much easier to avoid mistakes. If they start checking whether it’s the whole body or not, I think that’ll only create problems.”
Still, the idea of banning backward passes sounds like an exaggeration. The game thrives on pauses and shifts. The time spent building up isn’t wasted. It’s part of the strategy. In a sport where every inch of space is fought for intelligently, removing the option to go back would also remove one of the most thoughtful aspects of the game. A backward pass isn’t retreating. Many times, it’s the first step toward attacking. It’s what allows a team to breathe, reorganize, and finally strike with clarity.
The debate Pellegrini started is worth having, but soccer doesn’t need to turn into the NBA to be more exciting. It needs to stay true to what makes it unique, a game where patience, awareness, and creativity still matter just as much as the urgency to score.