It’s been 32 years since Denmark’s famous goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel took advantage of the rules that allow him.
It has been 32 years since Denmark’s famous goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel paved the way for his country to reach the European Nations Cup stage held in Sweden in 1992 by using a rule that allowed the ball to be recovered from his teammates.
Denmark finished second in the Euro qualifiers and failed to qualify for the continental competition. But Yugoslavia was barred from the tournament because of the civil war, and the UAF – at the time – called on Denmark to take its place.
Contrary to expectations, the Vikings won one by one to win the title. But the way he played in the final against Germany changed the rules of the magic round.
🏆 #OTD At Euro 1992…
🇩🇰 @dbulandshold pic.twitter.com/7BRUzkVAQm
– UEFA Euro 2024 (@EURO2024) June 26, 2020
Although Denmark’s history at the Euros was remarkable and an example of perseverance, determination and belief in talent, what Schmeichel did in the game was crucial in overturning one of football’s rules.
Schmeichel deliberately wasted the return ball from his teammate, waiting for the opponent to approach him and holding the ball for a long time, thus the Danes wasted a lot of time. Gaining European honor.
Denmark’s (legal) anti-play against Germany in the Euro 92 final was won by Peter Schmeichel and his team. That same year, 1992, FIFA changed the rules: goalkeepers could not handle the ball during back passes. pic.twitter.com/h3REse7ZwO
– UN TRUC DE FOOT (@untrucdefoot) June 27, 2023
In the final against the German national team, Schmeichel passed the ball to a team-mate after returning it, forcing German star Jurgen Klinsmann to run towards him before catching the ball. Schmeichel repeated this issue several times during the game, wasting significant time.
The backward pass rule is the best thing ever in football.
Here’s a look at how Denmark took offense last season before the new rules came into effect. Look how stupid football was in 1992.
Credit b @soccer clips To upload this first. pic.twitter.com/3BJLgkOcBF
– Goal Scorer Challenge ⚽️ (@GoalscorerC) November 23, 2020
The Danes beat France, the Netherlands and Germany 2-0 at the European Championship, using Schmeichel’s boring scheme in the final.
The new rule
After the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy, the introduction of new rules became the talk of the town.
FIFA decided to take action after the World Cup, strongly criticizing the boring matches, which resulted in a record low of 2.2 goals per game, the lowest percentage ever in a World Cup.
But Euro 92 was the final nail in the coffin of this football fun-killing tactic.
In June and July 1992, FIFA banned any back-passes from the feet of teammates during the Olympic Games, which came into force in the 1992-1993 football season, causing confusion among defenders and goalkeepers.
In the year Some pretty back passing action from this day in 1992 as the new rule came into play on the second weekend of the Premier League.
Dave Beasant doesn’t know if he can lift the ball, Tim Flowers forgets to kick, and Nigel Spink resorts to using his head.
Glorious chaos. pic.twitter.com/2XHni4rDqv
— Stu’s Football Flash (@stusfootyflash) August 22, 2023
This is similar to the first season of the Premier League, when strikers were pressing on bewildered goalkeepers who were suddenly forced to use their feet to deal with back-crosses.
The impact was immediate at the next World Cup in 1994 in the United States, where the scoring rate rose to 2.7 goals per game, the highest since the 1970 World Cup.
Historian Luciano Wernitsky said: “It made football more flexible because it was the best change in the rules in the last forty years.”
