Tusport - News - Ex-PL official’s corner-law idea after West Ham vs Arsenal

A former Premier League official has reignited debate over set-piece grappling by proposing a notable tweak to the Laws of the Game: forbid attacking players from entering the goal area before a corner is taken. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Cann argued that enforced separation would reduce pushing and holding while the ball is out of play—moments that currently escape sanction because referees cannot award a free-kick or penalty until the restart actually happens. The idea lands in the wake of fresh controversy around corners and contact, with the West Ham United vs Arsenal FC clash—decided 1-0 by the visitors—serving as a reference point. Cann suggested that if players had been required to start outside the six-yard box, the picture inside the area would have been “completely different.” Positioning chains would shift, markers might not be touch-tight, and the type of foul debated in that game could simply never arise. Equally, he acknowledged the inherent unpredictability: with new starting positions, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya might claim the cross cleanly, or West Ham could benefit from a better run onto the delivery. Supporters of the proposal see several benefits. First, it restores clarity: fewer bodies on the goalkeeper and clearer sight lines for referees and VAR. Second, it improves the integrity of the restart by removing grappling that occurs while the ball is dead. Third, it could reduce time-wasting and the need for prolonged warnings before a corner is taken. For the game’s technicians, it would reshape the chessboard of set pieces—altering near-post runs, second-phase screens and the common strategy of crowding the keeper. There are, however, foreseeable challenges. New congestion lines would likely form at the edge of the six-yard area, making the first step after the kick a new contested battleground. Defenders might orchestrate blocks, attackers would relearn timing patterns, and goalkeepers could face different angles of traffic. Any change would require education across elite and grassroots levels, and would almost certainly be trialed under IFAB protocols before global adoption is considered. Would it have changed Arsenal’s title trajectory? That remains speculation. What the proposal promises is a cleaner visual and a firmer legal framework for corners—a space where matches can swing and, as West Ham vs Arsenal reminded everyone, tempers often flare.