2023-08-08 08:43:00
Matches over 100 minutes, often twice a week. And more than sixty over the whole season. The championships, the national cups, the European cups, the qualifications for Euro 2024, then the tournament itself next June. The 2023-2024 financial year was already shaping up to be a long one. It will be even more so given the new rules that have just come into force.
On the recommendation of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body which determines the laws of football, all leagues – including the Pro League – have decided to apply a series of new rules, including one on added time . Modeled following the World Cup in Qatar, goal celebrations will now be interpreted as lost time and compensated for in injury time.
The referees are therefore instructed to count all interruptions of play, just to offer an effective playing time of around 90 minutes and to further curb attempts to save time. “It’s really good to do it because it was going too far. Now the teams will think twice (before saving time)”, reacted Mikel Arteta on Sunday evening following winning the Community Shield thanks to an equalizer from Leandro Trossard… in the 101st minute…
The Gunners manager is however the only one to have positioned himself favorably so far. His Manchester City counterpart, who has already paid the price for this new rule, is even very critical. “Nothing happened in this match and there were eight minutes added, plague Pep Guardiola. We don’t consult managers and players and then we have to accept it. They extend for the goals. If you score 4-3, you need 45 seconds for seven goals, tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I’m still here playing,” he quipped.
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“Nothing happened in that game and there were eight minutes added.”
Kevin De Bruyne has given his opinion as captain of Manchester City. “Assuming we are going to play around 15 extra minutes each game, that says it all, started KDB. We spoke to Arsenal players and even the referees. They don’t even want to do it, but it’s the new rule and you have to respect it.”
The Red Devil is worried regarding the sequence of meetings and clashes once morest smaller teams. “In a game once morest an inferior team that loses time, we will end up with 20-25 minutes more. Imagine, if we play the UEFA Super Cup once morest Sevilla in Athens on Wednesday (16/08) and we have 15-20 extra minutes, then we play once more on Saturday in the league: it’s like two extra times. We’ll see how it goes, but it doesn’t make sense.”
The major European championships will only begin this weekend, but voices are already beginning to be raised in this direction. Raphaël Varane notably split a long text on Twitter. “We have shared our concerns for many years that there are too many games, that the schedule is overloaded and that it is at a dangerous level for the physical and mental well-being of the players. Despite our previous comments, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity and less emotions to be shown by the players. We just want to be in good condition on the pitch to give 100% to our club and our supporters,” the Manchester United defender wrote.
Other players and coaches will likely follow suit in the coming days. But a rollback now seems very complicated. Instead, players will have to get used to these new rules by agreeing either to stay on the field longer or to no longer celebrate goals…
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#sense #sling #organized #rules #world #football
