IFAB to stop time-wasting

LONDON: New measures could be introduced to clamp down on time-wasting in football after Sunday’s match between Cardiff City and Burnley saw the ball in play for just 42 minutes and two seconds.

It was the shortest amount of actual playing time in a top-flight fixture since the 40 minutes and 50 seconds of action when Stoke City played Aston Villa in December 2013.

Of the 48 minutes lost to delays and time-wasting at the Cardiff City Stadium, a remarkable eight minutes were spent waiting for Cardiff ’s Sean Morrison to take 20 long throw-ins.

According to The Times, the International FA Board (IFAB), who serve as football’s rule-makers, will look at ways to increase the amount of playing time in matches as part of their ‘Play Fair’ strategy.

Potential new rules to be looked at include the referee stopping his watch from the time a throw-in, corner or goal kick is conceded to the time it is actually taken.

An IFAB source told The Times: “We all want to crack down on major time-wasting and increase playing time but the fundamental question is how we do it.”

One previous suggestion was for a clock inside the stadium to measure 60 minutes of actual playing time, but this was rejected.

IFAB’s next annual meeting takes place in Scotland in March, where all recommended law changes will be discussed.