* After the game, Blatter set up a FIFA Task Force, called Football 2000, to look at alternatives to the shoot-out. Options included awarding the win to the team with the most corners, or with the fewest fouls; or playing on until someone scores; or taking off a player every ten minutes to create more spaces. This eventually morphed into the “golden goal,” the professional equivalent of “next goal wins,” which settled one match at the 1998 World Cup (France’s win over Paraguay) and three in 2002 (Senegal beating Sweden and South Korea beating Italy in the Round of 16, and Turkey beating Senegal in the quarterfinal). The finals of the 1996 and 2000 European Championships were also won by golden goals, Germany’s Oliver Bierhoff and France’s David Trezeguet the respective match winners. But UEFA was not happy with the system. In its technical report following the 2000 tournament, it made these complaints about the golden goal:

1. It is an untidy way to finish a match.

2. It puts too much pressure on the referee—the match officials can decide the game.

3. It is unfair from a sporting perspective—there should always be an opportunity for the losing team to fight back, even if it is only for a few minutes.

4. It can create unnecessary conflict among the players and provoke spectator unrest.

FIFA’s plan to create attacking soccer in extra time had not worked: rather than seeing teams go for it in an attempt to score the golden goal, it led to more defensive soccer as teams tried to avoid conceding. After the 2002 World Cup, FIFA abolished the rule and reverted to the standard extra time and penalties. The latest Task Force, Football 2014, has made no further amendments to the penalty regulations despite Blatter’s promise twenty years previously.