Addressing Time-Wasting in Football: A Call for Change
One clear message emerged from our inquiry into Reinventing Football : fans are frustrated with time-wasting.
Whether it involves deliberately slowing the game or feigning injury to create tactical stoppages, these practices detract from the enjoyment of matches.
FIFA aims to ensure that 60 minutes of football is played within a 90-minute match. This was nearly achieved at the 2022 World Cup through the implementation of extensive stoppage time, resulting in an average ball-in-play time of 59 minutes and 28 seconds.
Domestic leagues were urged to prioritize the reduction of lost time, and initial efforts yielded positive results. However, as often happens in competitive environments, these efforts have waned.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), responsible for football's laws, has considered the possibility of stopping the clock when the ball goes out of play.
The proposal suggests two 30-minute halves with the clock paused during stoppages, potentially achieving the desired 60 minutes of active play.
This approach has proven effective in sports like basketball and American football; could it be the solution football needs?
Trends in Game Duration
When Europe's top five leagues adopted FIFA's measures to reduce time-wasting in the 2023-24 season, they experienced higher ball-in-play times. However, this improvement has since declined.
After peaking at 58 minutes and 11 seconds during that Premier League season, the average ball-in-play time dropped to 56 minutes and 59 seconds in 2024-25 and further to 55 minutes and 5 seconds this season, with average match durations exceeding 100 minutes.
This trend is alarming, especially when compared to the 54 minutes and 49 seconds recorded in the 2022-23 season, during which the average match length was shorter at 98 minutes and 27 seconds, indicating an increase in wasted time.
Notably, two matches this season—Aston Villa vs. Bournemouth (45 minutes and 48 seconds) and Newcastle vs. Liverpool (45 minutes and 55 seconds)—recorded less than 46 minutes of ball-in-play time.
Similar declines have been observed in the Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, while La Liga has seen a slight increase to 55 minutes and 14 seconds this season, up from 55 minutes and 10 seconds two seasons ago.
UEFA has instructed its referees to be more vigilant, resulting in the Champions League averaging 56 minutes and 8 seconds of ball-in-play time, with an average match length of 97 minutes and 22 seconds.
However, there are still instances of low ball-in-play time, such as Arsenal's match against Slavia Prague, which had just 41 minutes and 39 seconds.
Statistics on Goal-Kicks
During a recent IFAB meeting, there was a focus on further measures to enhance the flow of play and minimize interruptions, particularly concerning throw-ins and goal-kicks.
Statistics reveal that the average time lost to goal-kicks in the Premier League is seven minutes and 42 seconds, averaging 30.4 seconds per goal-kick. Last season, the average delay for goal-kicks was just under seven minutes.
Additionally, the ball is typically out of play for 11 minutes and 20 seconds waiting for a player to take a throw-in, averaging 18 seconds each. This figure has increased from 16.1 seconds last season and 15.6 seconds in 2023-24.
On corners, the average wait time is five minutes and 58 seconds, or 36.4 seconds per corner, while free-kicks average 13 minutes and 25 seconds.
Overall, more than 38 minutes of game time can be lost due to these delays.
The time lost on goal-kicks is particularly noteworthy, with Burnley featuring in three matches this season that were most affected. In their match against Manchester United in August, 13 minutes and 40 seconds were lost due to 22 goal-kicks, with Burnley responsible for 11 minutes and 18 seconds of that time.
In their game against Liverpool, they took over 12 minutes for 21 goal-kicks, averaging 34.57 seconds each, and against Sunderland, the total lost was 12 minutes and 45 seconds.
Throw-in delays are even more significant, with Tottenham's match against Aston Villa last month taking nearly 20 minutes for throw-ins, and 18 minutes for throw-ins in their game against Bournemouth in August.
Concerns About Match Length
One concern regarding the transition to two 30-minute halves is the potential for matches to lack a fixed endpoint. However, is this a valid concern?
Using the average match duration in the Premier League—100 minutes and 46 seconds—as a baseline for comparison, a match with a 60-minute clock that stops during stoppages would last approximately 98 minutes and 35 seconds, factoring in the average time lost to corners, goal-kicks, and throw-ins.
Including the average time taken for free-kicks would likely keep the total duration close to the current average. However, this average does not account for extreme cases, such as the aforementioned match between Slavia Prague and Arsenal, which could extend beyond two hours.
This unpredictability regarding match length, especially for evening games, poses challenges for fans.
Moreover, it is uncertain how player behavior would evolve. Without direct consequences for time-wasting, would we still witness extreme cases like in the European match in Prague? Or could the situation worsen if quick restarts become ineffective?
Perhaps the most pressing concern for supporters is the lack of clarity about the remaining match time. Many stadiums feature a single clock that is not visible from all stands, and lower division matches often lack sufficient clocks altogether.
Currently, fans have a rough estimate of elapsed time and receive stoppage time indications at 45 and 90 minutes. A match clock that is not visible would complicate the understanding of remaining time, particularly at grassroots levels.