2023-10-01 13:00:06
During the Community Shield match between Manchester City and Arsenal, in London (United Kingdom), August 6, 2023. DYLAN MARTINEZ / REUTERS
“Playing entire matches at 100%? This is no longer possible. » Regional delegates of the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) hear this observation regularly during their visits to clubs. Concerns have been expressed quietly since the international federation (FIFA) validated the extension of added time, in order to increase the effective playing time, after a full-scale test during the Men’s World Cup in Qatar, in 2022.
Read also: 2022 World Cup: why do the referees offer so much additional time?
In July, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which establishes the laws of the game, amended Law 7, which resulted in longer matches. But, according to David Terrier, vice-president of the UNFP and president of the European division of FIFPro – the world footballers’ union –, this body known to be very conservative “don’t listen to the players”. In August, Raphaël Varane publicly complained about this additional burden, which was detrimental to the health of the players. In vain. “We are happy to play, but when it’s too much, it’s too much”had already alerted Kylian Mbappé, during the Globe Soccer Awards, in Dubai, in December 2021.
Individual speeches have little weight in the face of Gianni Infantino’s all-powerful FIFA, which is mainly concerned with expansion. After the Club World Cup, which will bring together 24 teams every four years from 2025, the Men’s World Cup will feature 48 selections from the 2026 edition, compared to 32 previously. FIFPro is trying to unite to counter this development which places even greater demands on the bodies of athletes.
Ten minutes on average
At UEFA, a leader took this subject head on. Technical director Zvonimir Boban sided with the players and decided that European competitions would not blindly follow FIFA’s directive. The former AC Milan strategist intends to create a think tank with active players. Through the national unions, he has spoken with several big stars, who prefer not to reveal themselves too soon. Only a collective initiative could move the lines, as the handball players did in 2019, in a campaign entitled “Don’t play with the players”.
Read also: Ligue 1 is in turn entering the era of extended matches
With the new guidelines, the average added time would be ten minutes, revealed Pierluigi Collina, boss of referees at FIFA and member of the IFAB, in early September. In France, the Professional Football League (LFP) has made public the average duration of stoppages in play on the first day of Ligue 1: twelve minutes and forty-seven seconds. Taking into account the “cooling breaks” observed during these matches.
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