FIFA to continue time-wasting crackdown at Women’s World Cup

Referees at the Women’s World Cup this month will look to crackdown on time-wasting by ensuring the correct amount of added time is played.

A similarly strong stance was taken by officials at the World Cup in Qatar last year, which resulted in an average of 11 minutes added time being played per match at the tournament.

Referees were very accurate in ensuring time was added at the end of games if it had been lost for substitutions, players receiving treatment, red cards, goal celebrations and VAR interventions.

Research has shown how each goal celebration, for example, can last 90 seconds, with teams using it as a chance to run down the clock.

FIFA want to maximise the amount of time the ball is in play and will therefore ensure the right added time is played at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Semi-automated offsides will also be in use, as was the case in Qatar, and VAR decisions will now be broadcast in stadium.

As always, referees will go to the pitch-side monitor but now once their decision is made they will communicate it to fans over the stadium PA by using a microphone attached to their headset. Supporters watching at home on TV will hear it too.

The referee will explain the final decision taken and the reason why, explaining who committed the offence and what it was.

Fans will still not hear the decision-making process, but it is hoped by explaining the decision afterwards supporters will have a great understanding of a referee’s reasoning.

The new system has already been used at the Club World Cup this year in Morocco and the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina.

Other sports, such as NFL, have used a similar system and it has been well received.

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