The Premier League is set to extend the amount of stoppage time added at the end of games, adopting an approach similar to FIFA’s during the 2022 World Cup.
By the end of the tournament in Qatar, the average match length, excluding those that went extra time, stood at 102 minutes, four minutes longer than the average the 2018 World Cup and five minutes longer than the average at Euro 2020.
43 of the 62 games at the 2022 tournament, over a third of the total matches, exceeded 100 minutes, with England's opening game against Iran setting the benchmark by lasting a staggering 117 minutes.
The key contributors to the added time were VAR decisions, injuries, substitutions, penalties and red cards, as well any time-wasting by players.
And, according to The Times, football lawmakers have ruled that the Premier League and other domestic competitions in England must increase the amount of added time in matches from next season.
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It means that 100-minute matches, not to mention last-gasp goals like the one scored by Reiss Nelson in the 97th minute in Arsenal’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, could become common place in English football from next term.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said ball-in-play time at the World Cup was, on average, around 60 minutes, compared to around 55 minutes in the Premier League this season.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the International FA Board (IFAB) in London, Infantino said: “We want to fight against time-wasting, we want the fans to enjoy the game, we have seen at the last World Cup on average we had a bit more than ten minutes additional time, and around 60 minutes of effective time being played.
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“It has been widely appreciated by everyone and the laws of the game are universal and we have to make sure they are universally implemented.
“We have seen a very inconsistent application of these laws of the game when it comes to time-wasting, and some leagues have matches lasting less than 50 minutes, and others have around 60 minutes now.
“We will monitor leagues all over the world. But we are not changing the laws of the game, and there will be no stoppage clock.”
IFAB, football’s law-making body comprising Fifa and the four British associations, also amended a law to penalise goalkeepers who use distraction tactics during penalty kicks.
The change to Law 14 states that “Goalkeepers must not behave in a way that unfairly distracts the kicker at a penalty kick or during penalties.”
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IFAB also confirmed its opposition to temporary concussion substitutes, like those used in rugby, despite attempts by the Premier League to trial it next season.
FIFA opposed the trials, citing that most football medics prefer permanent concussion substitutes rather than players returning to the pitch following a ten-minute head injury assessment.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Premier League, Football World Cup, Gianni Infantino, Qatar