The coaches complained that the offside rule stifled attacking play and criticised the triple burden of sanctions for "professional" fouls in the box.

During their annual two-day meeting with UEFA, elite club coaches also slammed the packed international match schedule in the wake of the World Cup.

UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh said afterwards that the forum with 17 coaches -- including Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal), Fabio Capello (Real Madrid), Frank Rijkaard (Barcelona), Felix Magath (Bayern Munich) and Marcello Lippi -- had been "intense".

Speaking on behalf of the coaches, Lyon's Gerard Houllier cautioned that both players and fans were confused by the current offside rule, especially since changes were made in 2005.

"A rule which was supposed to produce more goals and more offensive (play) in fact has had a perverse effect, since teams don't play the offside trap anymore, they just pull back," he told journalists.

Roxburgh said the coaches had also called for referees to have the option of giving a yellow card -- and not strictly a sending off -- for professional fouls as the last defender in the penalty area.

At the moment, offenders are liable for an immediate red card and subsequent suspension, the team suffers by being reduced to ten players for the rest of the match, while the other side is awarded a penalty.

"The idea is that the goal scoring opportunity has been denied, but you get it back again by getting the penalty," Roxburgh explained.

"If the tackle is not violent, then they think the referee in that case should have the option of a penalty and a yellow card."

The current series of international friendlies that began on August 16 also came under fire.

Houiller said top players who took part in the World Cup semi-finals and finals were being burned up when they should be preparing for the new season with their clubs after a rest.

"Some of the coaches were arguing that they're not training their players at the moment," he added, pointing out that players had to spend weeks with their national sides for the friendlies.

"The calendar remains a big issue," Roxburgh said.