German legend Franz Beckenbauer yesterday urged that the rules of soccer to be left as they are, warts and all, because refereeing errors can be part of the sport’s charm.

“Leave football as simple and as clear as it is, together with all its mistakes,” Beckenbauer, a member of the executive committee of FIFA, the sport’s governing body, told the German daily Bild.

The comments followed some radical proposals made on Tuesday by Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal.

But Beckenbauer, 64, a World Cup winner for West Germany both as player and coach, said that even with different camera angles, off-side decisions can be so tight that “at the end of the day only a human being has to decide.”

He conceded, however, that another official behind the goal line might help.