The football authorities have taken measures to address time-wasting during matches by adding significant amounts of added time at the end of games. This has led to complaints and concerns, particularly in the Premier League, where matches have been extended due to delays during play, and players have been booked for time-wasting more frequently.
The goal behind these measures is to ensure that football remains in play for as much of the match duration as possible. However, there are players who oppose the idea of adding extra minutes at the end of each match and do not see its merit.
Arsene Wenger, a respected figure in football, has come to the defence of this approach, asserting that it is fair and just. Wenger’s stance likely reflects the belief that curbing time-wasting and ensuring continuous play is essential for the integrity and excitement of the game.
He said to the Independent:
‘I would say are you against time-wasting? Personally, I say yes. I am against time-wasting. For the equity of the game, we want the team who wants to play to be rewarded.
‘For the respect of the fan who sits in the stand, the teams to play, to encourage the teams not to waste time. After, it looks logical to me to fight against time-wasting. After that, the second question is how. Then you have to find the logic in it.
‘The logic should be for me to add the time wasted on purpose or accidental. Do you limit that time? Personally, I am not in favour of limiting it, because once it’s the same thing as the offside, people say give them five inches or two inches and then people say why not three. Once there’s no logic behind it, it’s difficult to defend the decision. So we have to continue to do that.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Time-wasting had been notorious before the new measure and we have seen a marked improvement in the minutes the ball is in play since the new season began.
This means the measure is a good one and fans would be happy to get value for money when they are in the stands.
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They waste so much time making shocking calls on VAR (City goal against Fulham was yet another example of the corruption), that it’s nice for the fans to get some of that time back at the end of games.
It’s so simple to solve this problem. Have two halves of 30 minutes with an electronic, digital clock, that can be seen by everyone in the stadium. The clock stops whenever the ball is out of play so everyone can see when time is up. The time wasting will stop, because players know everything second is going to be played. Rugby is a bit like this ice hockey is exactly the same. Thank Bob Wilson for this idea way back in the 1970’s. You would probably still end up with about 45 minutes for each half but that can be worked out prior to implementation.
Yes the time added procedures was long overdue as the monster was spiraling out of control, but more need to done to assist incompetent officials
It’s a bit weird not knowing when the whistle will blow, there’ll be times when you’re happy about the time added on and there’ll be games when it bites you in the bum. I am for it in general as I believe we can push on for more last-gasp dramatic winners -And they make your investment totally worth it
Let’s hope it all works out in the end. Blatant time wasting was ruining the game so if it takes a bit of time for that to sink in, then so be it
Just replicate the “clock” system adopted in Rugby.The clock would be stopped every time a player goes down “injured” and when a player is substituted.In that way the slow walk off the pitch is to no avail in terms of wasting time.I think I advocated this about a decade ago when AW was otherwise engaged.
That’ll all work, the clock stopping when the ball goes dead, but it will still be up to the match officials to stop the time wasted by keepers and at throw ins & dead ball situations. A few more yellow cards will need to be be issued before it finally sinks in.
With reference to your throw ibs Jax, another Wenger idea was to do away with throw ins and have indirect free kicks instead.
There could be, say, a 10 second time limit on taking the kick, otherwise it reverts to the opponents.
This shiukd be the case with ALL free kicks and the time starts once the referee has blown his whistle.
I think this is an excellent idea, as I see no advantage to the side awarded the throw in.
In fact, it’s a disadvantage, as it’s ten against eleven on the pitch.
I’m all for this new ruling and it’s proving just how much time wasting has been going on in previous seasons
Ken I firmly agree with not only you, but almost ALL fans everywhere, who know we are all being regularly cheated by the ACTUAL TRUE WASTED TIME of half an hour and more in each 90 minutes allotted.
RIGHT NOW I will pen an article and send it in today on the whys and wherefores of playing a PROPER and ACTUAL 90 MINS, instead of the bogus approx 10 mins added on each game (on average).
I will be keen to read YOUR thoughts as always, and hope you will have positive suggestions of your own to add, once read
👍
The free kicks would be OK, until it becomes a succession of long balls into the penalty area. If it’s time limited then perhaps a quick shorter free kick would work better than a throw. They regularly trial ideas put forward by IFAB in remote leagues to get an idea of how they might work in the real world, so somewhere in Central America they may even be doing this now.