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Wenger: Scrap away-goals rule

London - Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on Saturday revealed that he has asked UEFA, the ruling body of European football, to drop the away-goals rule.

Wenger brought up the subject at a recent meeting in Geneva of leading club managers with his campaign fired by his team's painful exit from the Champions League last season.

Arsenal beat eventual champions Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Allianz Arena in the German city to level the aggregate score at 3-3 in their last-16 tie but were eliminated due to their 3-1 defeat in the first leg at the Emirates.

The Gunners have been paired with the German giants at the same stage again this season.

"Last year we went out on away goals and after that I asked for UEFA to cancel the away goals," said Wenger.

"We lost 3-1 here and won 2-0 at Bayern. The weight of the away goal is too heavy, too big and is not justifiable anymore.

"People are surprised by my question, but I think it's a problem in the modern game.

"Why did they put the away goal in? Because there was nothing on television.

"When you went out of the European Cup (in the past), you got kicked everywhere, but nobody said a word so to encourage the teams to play they said, 'Okay, we give you an incentive for the away game'.

"However, in the modern game everything is on television and analysed, so there is no big difference anymore.

"Sometimes I think there is a counter-effect as teams play at home not to concede goals - now at home, the first thing managers say is, 'Let's not concede goals'."

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