The new approach to time- keeping started at the men’s FIFA World Cup, because FIFA was concerned about the length of playing time in many matches, sometimes less than 60 minutes. It has now been taken up by the professional leagues and competitions in this country.
Law 7 says that a match lasts for two equal halves of 45 minutes each way, which can only be shortened if allowed in competition rules. We are talking of course about adult professional football. Modifications are allowed for youth, veterans, disabled, and grass roots football. The FIFAs contention is that not enough lost time is being allowed for.
Lost time consists of, substitutions, assessment and/removal of players at injuries, players deliberately wasting time, disciplinary sanctions, medical stoppages such as drinks breaks, cooling breaks, VAR checks and reviews, goal celebrations and any other cause that creates a significant delay to a restart. The only time a game may otherwise be extended legitimately. is for a penalty kick or retake.
What is being demanded is a more detailed and accurate allowance of time lost. Take for instance a red card offence, lost time should be from the moment the offence is committed until the player has left the pitch.
As mentioned in a previous column, it has also led to a more robust approach against deliberate delays of restarts such as failing to move the correct distance at free kicks.
Clubs must also help by using the dual ball system, saving time at throw-ins etc. This means ball boys/girls work in pairs. One holds a spare ball to be available immediately the match ball goes out, while the other goes and fetches the original ball.
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, claimed that his exhausted players will be forced to playing 100-minute games. He ignores that they have not been playing the 90 minutes the Law requires.
Manchester United player Raphael Varane has complained that the players opinions are being ignored. What he is meaning of course, is that he and his highly paid fellow professionals, don’t think that they should put effort into the matches for 90 minutes.
Let’s face it, their only energy expended during stoppages is when they run over to the Technical Area for another drink, or of course for their goal celebrations.
So apart from injuries and VAR, reducing added time lays mainly in their hands. For instance, they can leave the field quicker at substitutions etc, don’t block free kicks or kick the ball away and dare I say it, go back to having a quick handshake as enough celebration of a goal.
By Dick Sawdon Smith
