‘That way, every game would last the same length and we’d get rid of this controversy’
Former Premier League referee Mark Clatternburg believes that football matches should be reduced to 60-minutes by using a stop-clock for every time the ball goes out of play.
The 47-year-old thinks that a 60-minute match, with a stop-clock, could be a solution to time-wasting in the game, with the clock stopped when the tie is halted.
Manchester City’s players were left frustrated on Wednesday night when Italian referee Daniele Orsato blew for full-time against Real Madrid 10 seconds early.
The Premier League side were also angered by Orsato’s decision to only play three minutes of stoppage time at the end of extra time – despite Madrid’s clear time-wasting.
Clatternburg believes 60-minute matches would remove controversy
Writing for the Daily Mail, the former referee said: “I think there’s a solution to all of this and that’s 60-minute matches with a stop-clock – an idea which Pierluigi Collina, FIFA and IFAB are currently looking at.
“It works in basketball and it could work in football, too.
“The clock is paused when the ball goes out of play, for example, or there’s an injury causing a delay, or a referee is issuing a yellow card and dishing out a talking-to.
“That way, every game would last the same length and we’d get rid of this controversy.”
A 60-minute clock would ‘guarantee an extra five minutes’
He also noted that the average time the ball has been in play in the Premier League this season has been 55 minutes and three seconds.
Therefore, on average, a 60-minute clock would guarantee an extra five minutes of match action and would prevent fixtures from lasting for different lengths of time.
Clattenburg – who refereed in the Premier League from 2004 to 2017 – added: “The 60-minute clock would stop that and guarantee paying punters that they at least get to see an hour of football on the pitch.
“It’s a conversation that our sport should be having, and one which would mean the debate over Daniele Orsato’s three minutes at the end of extra time wouldn’t need to be had in the aftermath of City’s collapse in Madrid.”
FPF wanted to test the proposal
Last month, it was reported that 60-minute matches were set to be trialed, pending approval from the International Football Association Board. As reported by iNews, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) wanted to test the proposal in their Under-23 Revolution Cup.
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