Why is there so much added time at the World Cup 2022?
Unprecedented levels of added time are being applied to World Cup 2022 matches – but why?
Every World Cup in history has boasted quirks and hallmarks that instantly come to mind when reminiscing.
For example, in 2010 we were subjected to the ear-busting drone of vuvuzelas and the swerving, swooshing Jabulani ball.
In 2022, we are being treated to more football than ever before. Literally. Officials in Qatar have been adding on major periods of extra time to the end of each half, particularly at the end of the second half.
The opening five games of the tournament witnessed over 85 minutes of stoppage time added to games – but why are we being treated to such huge amounts?
RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about the amount of added time at the 2022 World Cup.
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Why is there so much added time at the World Cup?
England v Iran started the trend of major levels of added time with 14 minutes added on to the end of the first half. This was put down to the head injury sustained by Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Still, when the 90 official minutes were served, the board flashed up again with another big number, and another 13 minutes were served due to Iran winning a penalty.
All of that took England v Iran to a record-smashing 117 minutes, while a number of other matches have sailed comfortably beyond 100 minutes.
The reason is simple: World Cup officials have decided to clamp down on time wastage – which includes the time taken for goal celebrations, substitutions, injuries, cards and more – by correctly applying full amounts.
Chairman of FIFA's referee committee Pierluigi Collina confirmed the fresh directive to officials to ensure all added time is applied in full.
He said: "In Russia, we tried to be more accurate in compensating for time lost during games and that's why you saw six, seven or even eight minutes added on.
"Think about it: if you have three goals in a half, you'll probably lose four or five minutes in total to celebrations and the restart."
We can all agree that this can only be a good thing for football at the tournament with fans getting closer to – or more than – the advertised 90 minutes of drama than ever before.
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