Report: IFAB decide whether to increase half-time break to 25 minutes long

The Evening Standard have revealed that Football’s lawmakers have rejected the proposal to make half-time breaks longer but they are likely to make the recent changes to the substitution laws permanent.

The South American football federation, CONMEBOL, wanted the half-time interval to be extended from 15 minutes to 25 minutes in order to accommodate Super Bowl-type half-time shows, including concerts and other entertainment.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has rejected the proposal citing concerns raised by different federations regarding the impact on player safety resulting from a longer period of inactivity.

However, The Evening Standard reveal that the IFAB are likely to make the use of five substitutions permanent.

The rule was introduced last year to help manage the workload on players due to the congested fixture schedule as a result of the pandemic.

The rule is currently in place until the end of 2022 but the report reveals that there is ‘a significant chance’ that the IFAB vote to make it permanent in their annual general meeting in March of 2022.

Spurs Web Opinion

I believe the five substitutions rule is good for the game, especially in this era of big squads. It is likely to reduce the number of injuries while also allowing managers more tactical leeway.

The extension of the half-time break on the other hand is something that no football fan wanted to see and was purely driven by commercial interests. I am glad the proposal has been turned down.

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