The IFAB will explore the idea of extending half time from 15 to 25 minutes
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) are looking into the potential of extending the length of half time from 15 to 25 minutes, reports the Daily Mail.
It is understood that the reasoning behind this is to allow for ‘entertainment’ to take place during the interval and make the experience of half time more like an entertainment show – much like the Super Bowl does for American Football.
If accepted it would allow for events such as the FA Cup final to have half time entertainment, which could include live performances whilst they wait for the second half action get underway.
The idea was first proposed by the South American football governing body, CONMEBOL, who feel it would be a benefit to their biggest competitions such as the Copa Libertadores.
CONMEBOL highlighted the success that half-time entertainment has in other sports around the world and that broadcasting live half time entertainment on television would benefit the sport massively.
They also indicated that longer half-time breaks would enable coaches to have more time to discuss tactics with their players and prepare for the second half.
First proposals for the idea will be discussed by the IFAB at the end of their annual business meeting on Thursday (25 November) which will be hosted by FIFA.
Whether the decision actually goes through or not is another question, with officials concerned that such an extended period of rest could mean that players may become more susceptible to injuries.
This also isn’t the first time that such an idea has been made to extend the length of half time, with an idea to increase from 15 to 20 minutes was rejected back in 2009, after supporters rebuked the idea as they felt it would be for commercial gain only and not for the welfare of supporters.
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