TONIGHT'S Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Juventus could be the last tie with the potential to be decided on the 'away goals rule' if Europe's top coaches have their way.
Uefa are contemplating scrapping the rule after some heavyweight lobbying from managers around the continent and they are backed by former Scotland manager, Andy Roxburgh.
Roxburgh, who worked as Uefa's technical director for 18 years, feels the time has come for the rule to be dropped because it encourages home teams to defend, and is backed up by a fellow Scot who has won three European trophies, Sir Alex Ferguson.
The former Manchester United manager says that the game has changed so much since he led Aberdeen to Cup Winners Cup glory in 1983.
Ironically, the team Fergie's Dons beat that night in Gothenburg was Real Madrid and the Spanish club could reach another European final tonight if they beat Juventus 1-0 in the Bernabeu Stadium to level the tie at 2-2 and go through on the away goals rule.
The rule was introduced in 1965 but Roxburgh believes it is an anachronism. "It was an artificial regulation brought in to avoid a third match," said the now technical director for the Asian Confederation. "It was to encourage elite teams to attack.
"What actually happens, though, is that it works the other way around. It's encouraged home teams to defend. It gives certain goals an added value and you can argue that's artificial. It encourages caution that wouldn't be there if you removed it.
"The development of teams being able to play on the counter-attack is quite incredible. The classic counter-attack was a boot up the park, but teams have become very sophisticated at what we [at UEFA] call collective counters. They win it somewhere in the midfield and a group of three or four players exploit the opposition at pace."
Roxburgh spent 18 years mixing with elite coaches in his Uefa role and told Four Four Two Magazine: "There's more negativity towards it. I gather now most of them are vocal about it. A combination of things has led to a change of perspective on the rules.
"We wanted away teams to attack. Now it's encouraging home teams to defend. It was introduced for the right reasons but it's time to look at it."
That view was endorsed by Ferguson after Uefa held a two-day meeting of elite coaches last September - in which the Scot sat alongside Bayern Munich's Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique of Barcelona and Real's Carlo Ancelotti.
"There was a bit of a debate about whether it has any significance today," said Ferguson, who chairing the meeting. "Some think it is not as important as it used to be and the attacking emphasis on the game today means more teams go away from home and win.
"If we go back 30 years, counter-attacking consisted of one or maybe two, players. Today, counter-attacks have players flooding forward in fives or sixes and really positive, quick passing.
"From a personal point of view, when I was playing at home, I used to say to myself, don't lose a goal," he added."
The away goals rule benefited both Celtic and Rangers when they reached European finals, with Celtic beat Celta Vigo with it during their 2003 Uefa Cup run, while Rangers overcame Sporting Lisbon en route to the 1972 Cup Winners Cup final.
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