Time Wasting is Worse Than VAR

Time wasting is seen as 1 or 2 things depending which side of the fence you sit on. It is often referred to as 'game management' by pundits when the so called "big teams" do it when they're leading. However, when anyone else does it then it simply is time wasting. That point is not my main annoyance. The actual concept of 'Game Management' or 'Time Wasting' is what really gets on my nerves.

As a season ticket holder and an away game attendee, I feel that I am being ripped off. I have bought a ticket to see a game of football that is supposed to last for 90 minutes. Now, the game itself is in fact 90 minutes plus any added time the referee deems appropriate. There have been mumblings for years about the amount of added time be it too long or too little. To semi combat this, the term was changed to "a minimum of X additional minutes" but still when you see the board go up you think that is the amount and you then question how this number came about.

To put into perspective why I feel that fans are being ripped off I'll give you some facts and figures:

1. In the 2017/2018 season the ball was in play for an average of 59 minutes and 23 seconds, according to Opta. That is just over 30 minutes shy of the 90 minutes the game is supposed to take.
2. In the same season a match between Stoke and Watford saw the ball in play for only 42 minutes. This is less than one single half of football. At the other end of the spectrum, the high point of the season was between Manchester City and Chelsea which saw the ball in play for 68 minutes and 21 seconds. This is a whopping 26 minutes more which is just over 60%. Still short of the 90 minutes, however
3. The notion of 'Fergie Time' was an actual thing with the average minutes added when Manchester United were winning being 3.18 minutes versus 4.37 minutes when trailing. The pressure that the big teams, not just United I may add, would put on officials is staggering and these stats prove just that.

Therefore, I have felt for a long time that the easiest and simplest way of solving this problem has gone flying past most people’s realisations – introduce a timekeeper. The timekeeper would be someone at the ground or elsewhere, much like VAR, and would control the clock.

Some basic rules I think there should be are:

• Clock stops for a goal kick
• Clock stops for a substitution
• Clock stops for a player to receive treatment
• Clock stops for a VAR check
• Clock continues for a throw in
• Clock continues for a corner
• Clock continues for a free kick/penalty unless it is being checked by VAR

By introducing these simple measures, the pressure is removed from the officials and they can therefore focus solely on the game. The VAR checks take a ridiculous amount of time and never does the time get added on. The amount of times the goalkeeper wastes time on goal kicks that goes unpunished until the referee finally gives in and books them in the 88th minute is laughable.

Of course, this will not totally remove time wasting. Every team does it. Just this weekend we saw an example in absolute bizarre circumstances. Burnley were 4-0 up away from home at Wolves and they were keeping the ball in the corner?! Why?!

I am one fed up fan, watching players earn a lot of money and me paying a decent amount each year in tickets and subscriptions to watch them waste time. It’s not good enough and that is why I feel it is worse than VAR. In truth VAR has highlighted how bad it is.

Now is the time to change, before fans are fully welcomed back into the stadiums, why not give them what they deserve – 90 minutes of football.