Shorter match, more football. Top sport prepares for changes

In the world’s most popular sport, time-wasting is a common issue. Players from the winning side often fake injuries, slowly drag themselves to the sideline during substitutions, or deliberately kick the ball far into the stands so no one can retrieve it. These tactics frustrate not only the losing team but also neutral football fans. That could soon change.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has released a proposal outlining possible changes for the 2017–2022 period. The most significant proposed change is reducing the match length: instead of 90 minutes, games would last 60 minutes of pure playing time, meaning the clock would stop for every injury, substitution, or delay. "Football would become more attractive, and the factors that ruin the game wouldn’t have such an impact on its flow," said former international referee Ľuboš Micheľ in an interview with the Economic Daily.

The proposal has already received positive reactions from respected figures such as Czech goalkeeper Petr Čech and Italian coach and former international Gianfranco Zola. Micheľ also sees it as a good idea. "According to statistics, the ball is in play for just 27 to 29 minutes per half. Stopping the clock would force teams to keep playing at full intensity," said Micheľ, who currently serves as sporting director and vice president of the Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki.

Besides increasing fairness on the pitch, the change could also benefit the business side of football. Other fan-driven sports like hockey, tennis, or American football feature multiple commercial breaks. In football, there’s only one—during halftime. "This could lead to even greater commercialization of football, which would bring in more revenue. Other sports make use of what football hasn’t been able to do so far," Micheľ explained.

Current rules prohibit airing advertisements while the ball is in play. "Many matches would benefit from switching to pure playing time. There have been plenty of controversial goals scored during stoppage time, when it’s solely up to the referee to decide how long the match goes. With this system, everyone would clearly know when the game ends," said sports analyst and football agent Jozef Tokos.

However, Tokos also points out the potential downsides of the proposal. One is that matches could last significantly longer than the current average of around 100 minutes, making it difficult to predict game duration. Another issue is technical limitations—not all lower-league clubs have the equipment needed to implement such a change. "It’s unclear whether this would apply to all league levels or just professional football," he added. (...)