A proposal has been made to implement a number of radical rule changes to reduce the amount of time wasted during football matches
Former Arsenal co-owner David Dein has proposed a plan to ensure less time is lost during football matches. He is keen to introduce a ‘timekeeper’ and change the traditional 45-minute halves to 30-minute periods.
Dein, who has reportedly gained support from PGMOL chief Howard Webb, believes goal celebrations, VAR checks, injuries, and substitutions are not fully policed. This has caused supporters to watch matches where less than 90 minutes of football is played.
His plan includes the timekeeper halt the clock to prevent ‘wasted time’, which could extend the amount of active play by minimising delays due to injuries, VAR reviews, and other interruptions. As well as this, Dein is hoping matches will be 60 minutes long instead of the traditional 90 minutes.
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On talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition, Dein reflected on his plan. “This is nothing new. This dates back, I think, to Fergie time, when Fergie would always be haranguing the fourth official and tapping his watch, wanting to know how much time was left,” Dein remarked, referencing Sir Alex Ferguson’s notorious sideline antics.
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“I’ve asked all the referees in the Premier League, several years ago, when the fourth official puts up two minutes, three minutes, four minutes, are you accurate to the last 10 seconds? The answer is no. No chance.
“Well, in this day and age, don’t forget America put a man on the moon in 1969. I think we should be able to know how long a game of football lasts.
“So my campaign is very simple. The average length of time a ball is in play in the Premier League and most Western European games is around about 55 to 57 minutes.
“I would like to see a real time, two halves of 30 minutes, where the ball is actually in play for 30 minutes each. Let the fans know how long they’ve got to go.
“Why should a fan at home have a better experience than the fan in the stadium? Let’s have a clock where we can all see how much time is being lost.”
A report from Opta last week stated that Liverpool have wasted the second-fewest amount of time in the Premier League this season. Before the trip to Wolves, the Reds had a delay time of just 24.1 seconds.
Opta Analyst has calculated the average time every Premier League team takes from being awarded corners, goal-kicks, free-kicks, penalties, throw-ins and kick-off, to them actually taking it.
