I hope we call time on refs’ Qatar carry-on
I am no fan of the ridiculous amount of additional time we have seen in Qatar.
For me, it is a gimmick, and something I hope we don’t see being transferred to the domestic game.
I get that the intention is to cut down time-wasting by players but this form of deterrent is not good.
You are asking players to play an extra 10 minutes in the first half, and the same again in the second for seemingly few stoppages in play.
That is a lot of added time, and we have seen it make an impact, with teams scoring in the 96th or 97th minute when a game of football is supposed to be played in 90 minutes.
I can’t see where so much extra time comes from.
If five substitutes have been brought on, that is two-and-a-half minutes. Maybe you should then have a little stoppage time, three minutes maybe, to cover goals being scored or injuries.
Yet still we are seeing 10 minutes – or more – coming up on the boards.
In one of Friday’s games, just one minute was added at the end of the first half,which made me laugh. I thought the referee just wanted it finished!
Other officials seem to be going the other way, and padding the games out because they are enjoying it so much.
I am not sure how it all goes down with fans, either.
If your team is under pressure, you go through all sorts of agonies and want the final whistle. If your side is pushing for a winner or an equaliser, you want as much added time as possible.
The periods of players standing around waiting for VAR decisions is also elongating matches.
Yes, American football matches – scheduled for 60 minutes – can carry on for over three hours. But our football is different.
Our tradition is for games to last 90 minutes. Any long-term shift away from that would be a mistake.