Running out of time is one of soccer’s biggest annoyances, not least for players and supporters desperate for a score.
In the Qatar World Cup, extra minutes have so far exceeded the normal limits for extra time:
A total of 100 minutes (!) have been added to normal playing time over the first six matches.
Damn problem
Although many were positive about the innovation, Egil “Drillo” Olsen is much more anticipated.
– I couldn’t get too upset that a little time was added earlier, says the former manager of the national team.
On the other hand, he is endlessly annoyed by what the referees still do not deal with, because of which he wants to see yellow and red cards.
– A classic example is when, for example, a team leads 1-0 at the end of the match. The goalkeeper catches a cross, there is no player around, but he lies down and stays there for ten seconds before getting up. Referees must start cracking down on such things, giving cards for time delays. Of course, it’s negative for football. People don’t like to see time as a waste of time, Drilo says passionately.
The Sensation: Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais eventually began to think the ball long against Argentina, as the underdogs cruised to a thrilling 2-1 victory. Photography: Ibrahim Norouzi
For in his eyes, more extra time is a meager consolation if thieves are not sufficiently punished.
– Another thing that I think is bad is when a team leads a player gets a little bump on his shoulder and pulls himself down. The judges are very lenient there. They don’t handle this kind of shooting….you see it in almost every game!
– Referees may not dare to give a yellow card if a player has reason to be dropped?
– If they miss one out of a hundred times, you better do it to get rid of the damn problem. I think there’s a tougher, better way to get rid of spending time than just adding more, Drilo says.
Believe in less delay
Fire captain Siffert Heltene Nielsen, who is known to many as one of those players in Norwegian football who loves to push the rules to the extreme, has a slightly different opinion.
It is believed that there will be less time delay if more are added.
– Yes, I really think so. My position as a player was if I could slow the tempo down, I’d win. We won’t get the actual time back, even if the judge says he’ll add more, says Helten Nielsen.
Follow the rules: Fire captain Siffert Helten Nielsen has no doubt that it pays to run out of time, even if the referees say they should add time. Photo: Bjørnar Morønning / NTB Photo: Bjørnar Morønning
He has noticed the trend of World Cup matches lasting much longer than they usually do.
– I think it’s totally fine. The total effective playing time is no more than 60 minutes, if we’re lucky. There is clearly an argument for more overtime. Now we take into account those who are slowing down. Much of the responsibility rests with the judges, says Hilten Nielsen, who should not be fooled by delays and contractions.
In the World Cup, the fourth official is responsible for the amount of time to be added to lost playing time, while the VAR room controls the time taken to check various situations on the pitch.
less random
The National Football League’s chief referee, Terry Hauge, says extra time at the World Cup appears to be more systematic than in the past.
– In the past, the fourth referees might have taken a rough time: too many injuries, too many substitutions, too many yellow cards, and then maybe it’s up to 3-4 minutes. While you’re now a little more accurate with your time, start and stop, and see how much time you lose to different types of stops, he says.
Chief Referee: Terje Hauge is the Chief Referee for the NFF. Photo: Marit Hommedal/NTB Photo: Marit Hommedal
He described the minutes added in the World Cup as “extremely high”.
When it comes to Drilo’s fetish with tougher referees in the face of time running out, such as when goalkeepers lie down with the ball without anyone near them, Hauge replies that it’s not necessarily as easy as it sounds.
– Here in Norway, we don’t frame this kind of incident as unsportsmanlike. But judges, of course, must consider each case separately. If we think the goalkeeper is taking unnecessarily long, time should be added. Then we have to talk to the goalkeeper and say “Hey, don’t you do this more than once”.
– But there is no basis for a card the first time?
– No, it’s not, says Hauge.
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