GENEVA, April 26 (AP)—The United States was warned today that its soccer players might be barred from all international competition, including the World Cup, unless the North American Soccer League changed its rules.
The warning was issued by the International Federation of Football Associations, the world body of soccer with 145 member associations, including the United States Soccer Federation.
Rene Courte, a F.I.F.A. spokesman, said the organization would consider suspending the N.A.S.L. unless it changed its rules to comply with worldwide standards set by F.I.F.A.
One N.A.S.L. rule unacceptable to F.I.F.A. is the league's method of eliminating ties at the end of regulation play. Ties are broken by overtime and, if necessary, by a contest of penalty kicks, known as a “shootout.”
Another N.A.S.L. deviation from F.I.F.A. rules is an offside system beginning at a line 35 yards from the opponents’ goal line instead of the standard rule that says a player can be offside anywhere within his opponents’ half of the field.
https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/27/archives/us-facing-world-soccer-ban-over-rule-deviations.html?
