August 31, (THEWILL) – The fresh stoppage-time regulations that English football has brought in this season to prevent time wasting are “absurd” and will not be utilised in UEFA tournaments, Zvonimir Boban, the European governing body’s Chief Of Football, stated on Wednesday.
Adhering to FIFA’s tactic at the men’s and women’s World Cups, England’s referees body declared in July that officials would tally on the precise time lost to goal celebrations, substitutions and injuries. The purpose is to raise the time the ball is in play, with matches now frequently exceeding 100 minutes in total.
Manchester city midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester United defender, Raphael Varane and global players’ union FIFPRO, have criticised the new method, arguing it will expand player workload in an already crammed schedule.
“It’s absolutely absurd”, former AC Milan and Croatia midfielder, Boban, told reporters in Monaco. “Regarding player welfare, it’s some kind of small tragedy or big tragedy because we are adding almost 12, 13, 14 minutes.”
UEFA’s refereeing chief, Roberto Rosetti, agreed. He said UEFA has focused on increasing active playing time through speeding up restarts. “There’s something more important than accuracy of stoppage time”, he said. “It’s the intensity and non-stop action that makes tournaments like the Champions League so attractive.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
