After two days of the World Cup, it is becoming increasingly clear that this World Cup will be different, not only because of the controversy taking place in a country like Qatar, but also because of an element that goes unnoticed on the pitch, added times.
Despite the interference of VAR on several occasions, the referees did not fail when it came to determining how much time had been added, and this was mandated by orders from above, from FIFA’s arbitration bodies, which ensured that they will punish time losses, for this reason most matches exceed 100 minutes
“We asked the referees to be strict and add everything needed to compensate for the loss of time”the legendary former referee commented a few days ago, Pierluigi Collina, current head of FIFA’s arbitration body. The basic rules that referees must follow for the World Cup are clear; protect the player by punishing violent play, and try to avoid cheating the referee and wasting time.
“Our priority is to protect the safety and health of the player. We do not want one rival to put another at risk. We will be tough on tickets (…) We will prosecute those who try to cheat, the pretenders looking for profit own it. This is unacceptable and we will not allow it,” explained Collina, indicating the reason for this long fight.
So far, the added time in the first 5 games is:
Qatar – Ecuador: 10 minutes (5 + 5) / England – Iran: 24 minutes (14 + 10) / Senegal – Netherlands: 10 minutes (2 + 8) / Senegal – Netherlands: 10 minutes (2 + 8) / United States – Wales: 13 minutes (4 + 9) / Argentina – Saudi Arabia: 19 minutes (6+13).
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
