Question Number: 22033

Law 7 - Match Duration 9/21/2009

RE: Adult

Steve:Beastie of Knottingley, West Yorks UK asks...

We have a big debate going on at the moment about injury time and where it all comes from.

We all know it's added on for various things but the belief amongst most fans is that it isn't uniform across all games and all referees.

Where does it come from?

30 seconds for each sub?
30 seconds for a yellow card?
1 minute for a goal?
Watch stopped for injuries?
corners?

Can you please clear up once and for all where it is all taken from?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

There is no set formula. The Laws of the Game say
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Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:
? substitutions
? assessment of injury to players
? removal of injured players from the fi eld of play for treatment
? wasting time
? any other cause
The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.
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See that last sentence, discretion of the referee. The time to be added is to compensate for the time lost; the referee determines how much time has been lost.

In some game situations, the ref must add all the time that he has calculated has been lost. In other games, some time must be added but it does not serve the players to add too much time. For example, if it's a 7-1 blowout and all the players are getting tired, the losing team is getting frustrated and cranky, does the ref really need to add 4.5 minutes? Why risk another player getting injured in the added minutes, when there's no chance at the score being changed? Another consideration is if there are multiple games at the field which would be delayed by the pointless addition of full stoppage time.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Law 8 says that the referee shall add time for time lost from delays. (Ref Voshol quoted the list in the laws.) Some delays are normal in every match (e.g., the ball goes over the top of the goal for a goal kick, a goal is scored without excessive celebration), and need no additional time. Others (e.g., a broken leg) cause a large loss in time.

There isn't a schedule that says add x seconds for y event. How much to add is solely in the discretion of the referee.

Unlike professional matches, leagues and tournaments often schedule fields back to back, and there isn't much room in the schedule to add more than a minute or two. This adds to the appearance that there is no uniform approach to adding time.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Well for once the fans are correct. The match referee has sole discretion UNLESS there is a horn or signal tied into a time clock as in high school or college play where the match ends when the clock tocks out and the horn goes.

Sometimes the circumstances are such where a team winning will drag out the restarts, go slowly picking up the ball for goal kicks throw-ins etc... the referee noticing this decides to ensure that this tactic will fail by adding it to the end of the match as additional time. Then the opposing team scores and then the take the lead suddenly this tactic is stopped and indeed even reversed the match referee may well forget about that bit of earlier wasted time.
The score maybe 8 to 0 and the weather cold and miserable with no desire on the part of anyone to play out the remaining 6 minutes of added time that had accumulated.

In tournaments with heavy scheduled field use they make bylaws prohibiting extra time. Instead go right to PK kicks or sound a horn to stop the match at whatever point it is as there is no time to add if matches are so backed up and referees need to rush around getting to their next match.

Generally when we have the responsibility of a single match we usually have sufficient time allotted where adding the correct time is not compromised by the pressure of outside forces. Matches with multiple balls around the pitch have dramatically improved the play time and the laws redefining fair play and the wasting of time have all centered around making a match more exciting and fair

We often point out time is indeed relative and rarely to the micro second but it as unfair to shorten match time as it is to extend it beyond the required play time. Look at Man City and Man U recently in the amount of added time dramatically affected the outcome when Owens scored oh so late to win 4-3. Man U felt great Man city felt robbed! There will always be those who perceive extra time as to short or too long depending on the need for a result! As a neutral official it is you duty to do what is right for the match not try to please both teams. As a match draws to a close, stay focused, look for ways not to make life difficult and be realistic in the use of additional time.


FIFA QUOTE
Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:
? substitutions
? assessment of injury to players
? removal of injured players from the field of play for treatment
? wasting time
? any other cause
The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.

Allowance for time lost
Many stoppages in play are entirely natural (e.g. throw-ins, goal kicks). An allowance is to be made only when these delays are excessive.
The fourth offi cial indicates the minimum additional time decided by the referee at the end of the fi nal minute of each period of play.
The announcement of the additional time does not indicate the exact amount of time left in the match. The time may be increased if the referee considers it appropriate but never reduced.
The referee must not compensate for a timekeeping error during the first half by increasing or reducing the length of the second half. END QUOTE
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

One of the duties that the referee has under Law 5 of the Laws of the Game is to act as timekeeper and keeps a record of the match. The allowance for time lost is solely at the discretion of the referee.

Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:

? substitutions

? assessment of injury to players

? removal of injured players from the field of play for treatment

? wasting time

? any other cause



No allowance would normally be made for the taking of corners, throw ins, freekicks as these are part of the game unless of course the player/s are engaged in blatant time wasting. Nor would it be necessary to add on time for goal celebrations where the game restarted quickly and without delay or time wasting



Also some referee bodies in the professional game provide guidelines for the amount of time that typically could be added on for substitutions, goal celebrations etc. However these are only guidelines and it is up to each individual referee to allow for time lost.