Premier League time-wasting: Referees failing to clamp down on stoppages with IFAB set to discuss solutions

[davieG]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/12785007/premier-league-time-wasting-referees-failing-to-clamp-down-on-stoppages-with-ifab-set-to-discuss-solutions

 

Premier League time-wasting: Referees failing to clamp down on stoppages with IFAB set to discuss solutions
Premier League fans are missing out with time-wasting meaning the ball is in play barely 56 per cent of an average game; despite an increased number of cautions for yellow cards, the situation is getting worse; IFAB will meet to discuss solutions next week

Ron Walker
Getty
The amount of football being played in the Premier League has hit an all-time low.

The league considered the world's best top-flight competition is seeing more time lost to slow restarts, delaying tactics and time-consuming injuries than ever, and officials are struggling to keep up with time-wasting.

New Premier League referees chief Howard Webb believes it is the most discussed issue in the game outside of VAR - but is reluctant to follow the lead of last month's World Cup to address what has become a long-term issue.

At an average Premier League game this season, the ball has been in play for less than 56 per cent of the match. That figure has been falling consistently over the past 10 years and with 2022/23 the lowest on record.

Frustrations had set in even before that slide, to the point then-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested taking timekeeping out of the hands of referees as far back as 2012.

Although he was protecting his own side's interests, the sentiment was and remains widely shared. A number of managers and executives have already complained to the media this season, as well as to the Premier League referees' body (PGMOL).

Sky Sports analysis has found that in 23 games this season, Premier League fans have sat through matches where the ball was out of play for more than half of the playing time.

When Crystal Palace and Leeds met in October, two first-half incidents racked up more than seven minutes of stoppages alone - but only five minutes of time was added on

Crystal Palace vs Leeds in October had the least football played, with the ball in play for less than 44 minutes of the almost 101-minute match.

In the first half of that game, a Palace goal triggered a VAR review lasting almost two minutes, and later a clash of heads led to a stoppage of five minutes and 45 seconds. Only five minutes were added on by the referee before half-time.

Leeds managing director Angus Kinnear called the match "an unacceptable spread for both players and spectators" and said he would raise the issue with the PGMOL.

Three months later, nothing has changed. In Wolves vs Manchester United on New Year's Eve, three second-half injury stoppages amounted to more than seven minutes, with another minute's delay for a VAR check on a disallowed goal. Once again, five minutes were added.

Wolves Man Utd Questionable added time
Play Video - Wolves vs Man Utd: Nearly 7 mins of stoppages, but only 5 mins added on
In Wolves vs Man Utd on New Year's Eve, three second-half injury stoppages totalled more than seven minutes at Molineux, while another minute was lost to a VAR review. Again five additional minutes were signalled
The World Cup has shown how things can be improved. FIFA's referees chief Pierluigi Collina's initiative to detail injury-time more accurately led to the average match during last month's tournament exceeding 101 minutes.

"People want to watch football, more football," was his rationale. And it worked. Injury-time fell by more than a quarter as teams gave up on time-wasting, with the ball in play almost five per cent more by the end of the tournament.

The average game, excluding extra-time, featured more than 58 minutes of football. That is more than any of Europe's top-five leagues this season.

Jamie Carragher was among the admirers of Collina's thinking. "[I'm] enjoying the amount of time that is being added on at the World Cup," he tweeted. "There is too much time-wasting in football!"

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PGMOL head Webb has poured cold water on the Premier League drawing on what he has called the "unusual" methods used in Qatar and has insisted referees already add on a "credible" amount of time.

"I'm a big advocate of ensuring that we empower referees to take action against players who delay restarts, and those who immediately stand in front of free-kicks to stop them from being taken," he told Sky Sports before the Premier League's restart on Boxing Day.

But as recently as last week's draw between Arsenal and Newcastle there was more than 10 minutes of stoppages due to injuries, substitutions and cautions for time-wasting alone after half-time. This was another occasion when five minutes of injury time were added.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was visibly angry with the decision, while colleagues Jesse Marsch and Jurgen Klopp have also hit out at what they have described as disruptive tactics going unpunished by referees.

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Play Video - Ref chief Webb: VAR talks could be aired for better transparency
Howard Webb told Sky Sports he would want to see trials of new stoppage time interpretation before it is implemented in the Premier League
"This is an entertainment business and I wish the referee had handled it better," Marsch told Sky Sports after their match against Everton only five games into the season. "The referee had the chance to affect the game and did not take advantage of that."

Officials have tried some new approaches. Forty yellow cards have been handed out for time-wasting this season, a figure which is on course to reach a Premier League high by some margin, but it has made little difference.

The return of the multi-ball system at the start of 2022/23 was also meant to help restart play quicker, and has been unable to arrest the decline either.

Real change may come from above Webb and the PGMOL. IFAB, the international body which acts as football's law maker, has discussed the problems around playing time already this season and is due to address it again when it meets next week.

Jesse Marsch felt Everton came to slow things down and complained about the referee's approach to their tactics when the two sides met in August
Time-wasting is not an issue which is confined to England. In fact, three of Europe's top-five leagues see less of the ball in play than the Premier League and in the Scottish Premiership less than 51 minutes of football is played during an average game - four minutes less than the Premier League.

IFAB will review the success of the more stringent approach to stoppages from the World Cup, and address how existing laws of the game - such as a maximum of six seconds for goalkeepers to hold on to the ball - can be more consistently applied.

It will also discuss whether Ferguson's long-held wish, to add an external timekeeper to the game, is a realistic possibility.

Sky Sports has observed repeated abuse of the six-second rule by goalkeepers across the most stoppage-affected Premier League matches this season, disrupting the flow of the game even though the ball remains in
In one game, the match referee made no intervention despite the same goalkeeper holding onto the ball for more than 15 seconds on six separate occasions.

The push to take the responsibility of added time out of referees' hands has been a long-term campaign of former Arsenal chairman David Dein, who has spoken to both the PGMOL and FIFA about his proposals and holds significant sway in his role as an FA and Premier League ambassador.

"I've been championing it because the referee is the busiest man on the pitch," he told TalkSPORT earlier this month. "If you ask any referee, they would tell you they don't need and don't want to keep the time anymore. They are managing a game of football. They have got too much to do.

"When we are talking about pure time, I'm not suggesting for one minute that it should be when time is wasted at a throw-in or a corner kick. But there are normally four or five areas of the game where time is wasted.

If you ask any referee, they would tell you they don't need and don't want to keep the time anymore. They are managing a game of football. They have got too much to do.
Premier League ambassador David Dein
"Goal celebrations, injuries, substitutions, VAR checks and penalties. Now, if you add all those up, one-and-a-half minutes here, a minute there and another minute there, it adds up to eight, nine or 10 minutes during the course of a game.

"I was at the World Cup and spoke to FIFA officials. I made presentations to them and slowly but surely, I think we'll get it on the agenda."

The World Cup has helped to progress that case faster than expected to bring the subject of time-wasting to the table, and shown how effectively it can be handled with a consistent approach.

But when Premier League fans will start to see more of the football they have paid to watch, without external intervention from IFAB, remains to be seen.

Sky Sports contacted the Premier League and PGMOL for comment.

[davieG]

It's a laughable those managers complaining about it when they are some of the worst culprits at gamesmanship including time wasting.

 

Maybe they should start by getting their players to cut it out.

[StriderHiryu]

Can't we just do what they did at the World Cup and massively increase stoppage time? That was a really good change to the game. 

[davieG]

Just now, StriderHiryu said:

Can't we just do what they did at the World Cup and massively increase stoppage time? That was a really good change to the game. 

For Tv games it would have the benefit of reducing the after banal sleep inducing chit chat that finds away of making every game about one of the Super6 + Newcastle.

[Munshi]

Yeah do what they did at the World cup. Want to go down every 5 minutes and take 1 minute for a goal kick? here's 10 minutes added on. 

 

Thought it was great tbh.

Edited 12 January 2023 by Munshi

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

Can't we just do what they did at the World Cup and massively increase stoppage time? That was a really good change to the game. 

I liked it at the world cup but in, say, a midweek night game, a combined 20-30 minutes of stoppage time could really shaft people who have a long way to travel and/or are reliant on public transport to get home. 

[Les-TA-Jon]

2 minutes ago, Guest said:

I liked it at the world cup but in, say, a midweek night game, a combined 20-30 minutes of stoppage time could really shaft people who have a long way to travel and/or are reliant on public transport to get home. 

This + TV is the main issue - matches don't have a reliable or predictable end time.

[South Shire Fox]

35 minute halves and stop the clock everytime the ball goes out of play, it really isnt difficult. Can still book players for time wasting on top of that if players start trying to slow momentum of game down by taking ages for goal kicks, throw ins etc

Edited 12 January 2023 by South Shire Fox

[RowlattsFox]

Stop the clock at substitutions and injuries at the very least. It would be ridiculous to stop the clock every time play stops, referee will still have to keep track of time wasting at goal kicks and throws in but that's manageable. 

 

'cramping and injuries' in the last 20 minutes is embarrassing and yes I know we do it too (not so much currently because we are always losing)

Edited 12 January 2023 by RowlattsFox

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

This + TV is the main issue - matches don't have a reliable or predictable end time.

Yeah that is probably the more pertinent issue as far as the authorities will be concerned. Would presumably play havoc with things like advert slots.

[StonyFox]

I think the only way to really tackle it is have two 30 minute halves, and stop the clock whenever the ball is out of play. Then no matter how much time wasting there is, you're guaranteed 60 minutes play, which would mean about 90 minutes in total with when the clock is stopped. 

 

But then we lose the idea of 90 minutes which has been such an iconic part of the game. 

[justfoxes]

15 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

Can't we just do what they did at the World Cup and massively increase stoppage time? That was a really good change to the game. 

Definitely gives value for ticket money with an extra half played due to stoppages and time wasting 😉

[StanSP]

19 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

Can't we just do what they did at the World Cup and massively increase stoppage time? That was a really good change to the game. 

Precisely. I'm not sure what 'solutions' there are to discuss. It's quite simple.

[Les-TA-Jon]

Other than the vast amounts of money in the game and the complete moral vacuum that is top tier football, the absolute worst thing about the sport, from a 'game design' perspective is just how easy it is to 'spoil' the game. Anyone who was at the recent Fulham game can attest to that. They used every trick in the book and the ref didn't care:

• Exaggerate every contact in an attempt to win fouls
• Fake head injuries to force stoppages
• Take treatment on the pitch 
• On every throw or free kick, rotate who takes it or fake 'confusion' over which player will do so
• Stand in front of the opposition's freekicks to stop a quick one or forward pass
• If substituted, try and walk off at the half way line, rather than nearest area
• Goalkeeper can waste 15-60 secs on every goal kick
• Goalkeeper can waste time on every goal kick, and waste more time when being warned by Ref to hurry up
• Goalkeeper can then waste even more time and 'dare' the Ref to show him a Yellow
• Once on a Yellow, Goalkeeper can continue to play this gambit and waste more time. Alternatively they can waste all sorts of time for the first 90 mins of the game and then receive the card, despite the damage already been done
• Goalkeepers are meant to hold onto the ball during play for no more than 6 seconds (or is it 12?). They routinely take longer. 

[yorkie1999]

11 minutes ago, Guest said:

I liked it at the world cup but in, say, a midweek night game, a combined 20-30 minutes of stoppage time could really shaft people who have a long way to travel and/or are reliant on public transport to get home. 

I think after a few games, the players might actually realise that they're not getting home quickly either. Personally i thought it was a brilliant idea, puts the onus on the players, not the officials, and basically gets rid of time wasting cos it's going to get added on anyway. They should also take the added on time out of half time unless it's a genuine injury and the player can't come back on the pitch. Another thing that should happen is if a player is down for 5 minutes, once he leaves the pitch, the ref should wave him back on after 5 minutes.

[RowlattsFox]

Keeper yellow cards always make me laugh because the refs waste another 30 seconds showing the card and marking his book, then running back to the half way line

[Mapperleyfox]

If they clamp down Newcastle and Fulham are screwed

[StanSP]

4 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

Keeper yellow cards always make me laugh because the refs waste another 30 seconds showing the card and marking his book, then running back to the half way line

Always in the 93rd minute and the extra time isn't even added on either. Making the booking utterly pointless. 

[StriderHiryu]

43 minutes ago, Guest said:

I liked it at the world cup but in, say, a midweek night game, a combined 20-30 minutes of stoppage time could really shaft people who have a long way to travel and/or are reliant on public transport to get home. 

But conversely if say you go to 10 matches, you probably get the equivalent of one match for free from all the stoppage time. Watch 11 for the price of 10! 

 

Also people leave early already, that's on them. I get it that sometimes you have to go early to get your train, i've done it once at the Copenhagen Champions League match leaving at bang on 90 minutes running like a madman to get a train, and it sucked. But that's on me really. 

[Long Eaton Fox]

It's not adding the lost time on, it's stopping it happening. From the first minute players should be booked for time wasting. The refs should have clear guidance on this from the relevant authority.

[StriderHiryu]

4 minutes ago, Long Eaton Fox said:

It's not adding the lost time on, it's stopping it happening. From the first minute players should be booked for time wasting. The refs should have clear guidance on this from the relevant authority.

I guess the argument is that by adding stoppages it will over time make players realise it’s a waste to do it in the first place, thus eventually stopping it from happening. 

[Clarkey123]

Absolutely disgraceful for the average working man who forks out more than ever of their hard earned cash to watch such crap. The worst thing is watching referees allowing it to happen every week!

[Long Eaton Fox]

1 minute ago, StriderHiryu said:

I guess the argument is that by adding stoppages it will over time make players realise it’s a waste to do it in the first place, thus eventually stopping it from happening. 

The problem is the players will always time waste when it suits them to break up play, slow the game down, delay free kicks etc.

 

My biggest annoyance is when a free kick is given and 3/4 opposition players pick the ball up, walk away with it and throw it in other direction.

[lcfcsnow]

It was sorted in the World Cup, once players realised the time was being added on the sitting down and cramp coincidentally ended.

[UHDrive]

I would like to see players who choose to sit down on the pitch with no identifiable problems and a meter from the touchline get carded. I'm all for adding in this surplus time on as was the world cup and at least the fans will get their monies worth if that happens.