FIFA Plans to Reduce Football Matches from 90 to 60 Minutes
World football governing body FIFA is considering bringing in a host of controversial changes to the current football system with one of such which will see games reduce from 90 minutes to 60 minutes.
According to Mundo Deportivo FIFA is looking for ways to improve the game and is trialling a series of different rules in the ‘Future of Football Cup’ youth tournament.
Under-19 sides from PSV, AZ Alkmaar, RB Leipzig and Club Brugge are all partaking in the experiment, which features five key regulations.
Firstly, instead of 90 minutes, games will be made of two 30 minute halves – with the idea of shortened match believed to have been taken from basketball and futsal.
In April, Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez, had hinted at shorter games in the European Super League before its almighty collapse.
The referee will stop his watch whenever the ball gets out of play in attempt to crack down on persistent time-wasting and there will be kick-ins, instead of throw-ins.
Normally, teams are allowed to make three subs – that has of course been extended to five in recent times due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Should these plans go ahead, unlimited substitutions will be permitted across the board.
And then finally, yellow cards will result in a sin bin similar to what is seen in rugby. The offending player would be temporarily suspended for a five-minute period and forced to watch from the sidelines before returning to the pitch.
It is important to note that this is just a trial phase at present and FIFA will assess the success of the changes and decide whether to discuss things further with International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that determines the laws of the game of association football.