We could be set to see 100-minute matches in the Premier League next season as new rule changes come into effect.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar we got a glimpse of what new stoppage time rules could look like if match officials are stricter on how much time tends to be wasted in games.
43 of the 62 matches at the tournament went over 100 minutes, and these rule changes now look set to be in place in the Premier League next.
The ball only tends to be in play for 55-60 minutes per game, so it makes sense to try to cut out time wasting and to make up for the time lost during substitutions and other things.
However, using that logic, games of over 100 minutes probably won’t be quite enough, and some have suggested it would make more sense to simply pause the clock and reduce games to just 60 minutes.
Speaking about this recently, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “We want to fight against time-wasting, we want the fans to enjoy the game, we have seen at the last World Cup on average we had a bit more than ten minutes additional time, and around 60 minutes of effective time being played.
“It has been widely appreciated by everyone and the laws of the game are universal and we have to make sure they are universally implemented.
“We have seen a very inconsistent application of these laws of the game when it comes to time-wasting, and some leagues have matches lasting less than 50 minutes, and others have around 60 minutes now.
“We will monitor leagues all over the world. But we are not changing the laws of the game, and there will be no stoppage clock.”
