Time stands still: Matches running longer than ever

Doha, November 22

The 90-minute football match is turning into 100-plus at the World Cup — and that is what FIFA wants, to give fans more entertainment.

The nearly 14 minutes added at the end of Argentina’s shocking 1-2 loss to Saudi Arabia today meant the five longest periods of stoppage time for a single half of football at any World Cup were all played in Qatar since Monday, according to statistics site Opta Joe.

England and Iran went into the 15th minute of stoppage time in the first half on Monday and the referee added almost 14 minutes in the second half. A head injury for Iran’s goalkeeper explained the first, but the second raised more eyebrows.

Even more surprising were the Netherlands-Senegal and the United States-Wales games, each entering the 11th minute of time added at the end for the myriad types of stoppages in modern football.

The American game, which started at 10pm on Monday in Doha, had ticked over into Tuesday when the final whistle blew.

The pattern carried today as the Argentina-Saudi Arabia match went into a seventh minute of time added on in the first half and twice as much in the second, when a Saudi defender was injured and carted off the field.

“The purpose is to offer more show to those watching the World Cup,” FIFA referees committee chairman Pierluigi Collina said in Qatar ahead of the tournament. Collina insisted the directive to referees “is something not new”.

FIFA officials have long been agitated about the dwindling amount of effective playing time in the regulation 90 minutes.

Routine

In 2017, a 60-minute, stop-start game clock like in basketball was suggested by Marco van Basten when the Netherlands great was then FIFA technical director.

Five years ago, even Van Basten noted wryly it had become routine for referees to add one minute in the first half and three in the second regardless of what actually happened on the field.

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the ball was typically in play for about 60 minutes. That was down to between 52 and 58 minutes at the 2018 tournament in Russia, according to one statistical analysis.

“What we want to avoid is to have a match lasting 42, 43, 44, 45 minutes of active play. This is not acceptable,” said Collina, one of the best referee of his generation.

While fans are getting used to the new norm of longer games — and broadcasters perhaps adjust their running times of programs — the current solution is arguably better than those proposed five years ago.

Van Basten’s team also suggested research into combating late-game time-wasting by letting referees stop their watch as play paused toward the end of each half. Both ideas were soon shelved. — AP

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