Premier League to swerve FIFA’s strict added time rules when domestic football returns

The Premier League will not adhere to FIFA’s strict added time rules when domestic action resumes in late December. 

​World Cup has witnessed long added timeReferees following FIFA’s new directivePremier League won’t follow

WHAT’S HAPPENING? According to the Daily Mail, the Premier League will not adopt FIFA’s new directive to add all ‘unnatural lost time’ at the end of each half. FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina wants to ensure there is more time with the ball actually being in play and hence has instructed the referees and fourth official to adopt such an approach in the ongoing World Cup.

England’s 6-2 win against Iran had almost 30 minutes of stoppage time, while the Netherlands benefited from a total of eight minutes being added to the second half of their win against Senegal.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: It has been reported that a number of Premier League referees have gotten in touch with Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to seek clarification on whether the same suit will be followed in the Premier League. However, PGMOL have assured them there will be no such directive from their end.

AND WHAT’S MORE: The international players’ union, Fifpro, are also in a spot of bother with the new directive as they are concerned about the workload for players. “If effective playing time is increased by 10 to 15 per cent, this adds substantially to the time under physical competition for players. More than anything it underlines again how critical workload protection is for players. It needs to be established now,” said Fifpro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann.

STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:

DID YOU KNOW? The four single halves with the most stoppage time on record (since 1966) in a single World Cup game all occurred on Monday. The first half of England and Iran’s clash had 14 minutes and eight seconds, while the second had 13 minutes and eight seconds. United States against Wales had 10 minutes and 34 seconds at the end of the second half, just a bit more than the final period of the match between Senegal and Netherlands at 10 minutes and three seconds.