Penalty goals could be introduced in a bid to prevent a repeat of incidents such as the one involving Luis Suarez at the 2010 World Cup ©Getty Images

Football’s lawmakers the International Football Association Board (IFAB) are considering introducing penalty goals as part of further planned changes to the laws of the game.

The moves comes as IFAB, whose technical director is former elite-level referee David Elleray, bid to prevent situations such as the incident involving Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The FC Barcelona star deliberately handled on the line, preventing a certain goal for Ghana in their quarter-final clash, before Asamoah Gyan blazed the resulting penalty over the bar.

Uruguay went on to win the match in a shootout and Suarez’s actions provoked fierce criticism after he was seen celebrating when Ghanaian striker Gyan missed from the spot.

Under the proposed alteration, a goal would be given instead of a penalty kick, which would see football mirror the laws of rugby.

The IFAB are currently reviewing the laws of the game and have already made 95 changes, due to come into effect on June 1 ahead of the European Championships in France.

England have been granted special dispensation to use the rules before that date, however, during friendlies with Turkey at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on May 22 and against Australia at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland five days later.

These feature abolishing what was previously dubbed the “triple punishment” rule, where a player who denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the penalty area is given a straight red card, while the opposing team is awarded a spot-kick.

The player would then be banned as a result of the dismissal.

IFAB technical director David Elleray (right) believes the laws had not kept pace with modern football
IFAB technical director David Elleray (right) believes the laws had not kept pace with modern football ©Getty Images

As part of the new rules, a player who makes a clear attempt at trying to win the ball in such instances will now only be booked.

Other alterations include handing the referees the opportunity to send players off for fighting in the tunnel before the match, who would then be replaced in the starting line-up.

The ball will no longer need to be played forward from kick-off, while sanctions will be brought against those who try to “feint” when taking a penalty in an attempt to deceive the goalkeeper.

The opposition will now be given a free-kick and the taker of the penalty will be shown a yellow card.

“The laws had not kept pace with modern football,” Elleray said.

“They were written when football was played by gentlemen who were not expected to break the laws of the game.

“Thirty, forty years ago being sent off was a disgrace.”