Football is considered one of the king sports with strict time regulations, especially in injury time. If you’ve ever watched a World Cup game or your favorite soccer team play, you’re undoubtedly aware of the buildup to stoppage time. Let’s find the answer to the question “What is stoppage time in soccer?” and its importance to the most popular sport through the article below.
What is stoppage time in soccer?
Stoppage time is the additional time that the referee adds at the conclusion of each half to make up for time lost earlier in the half as a result of things like injury treatment or video reviews.
So, if play is stopped for five minutes for injury treatment, the referee will add five minutes of stoppage time once the clock reaches 45 minutes.
How is stoppage time calculated in soccer?
The amount of stoppage time added is determined by the field’s head official after taking into consideration a number of factors. It could be:
- Substitutions
- Injuries
- Lineup of players for out-of-bounds throws, free throws, corners, goals, and penalties
- Red or yellow penalties are given by referees.
- The honor of goals
- Interruptions in the video for the assistant judge (VAR)
- Additional disruptions, such as water breaks brought on by high temperatures,
The head referee keeps track of the length of any delays in play. Then, as the half approaches the required 45 minutes, the chief referee notifies the side official of the total amount of lost time, who then shows the additional minutes on a digital board for the players and coaches to see.
History of stoppage time in soccer
Stoppage time, also referred to as injury time, was first used in a soccer game in 1891 between Stoke City F.C. and Aston Villa F.C. When Stoke was given a penalty shot in the waning moments of the match, they were down 1-0.
The goalkeeper for Aston Villa kicked the ball out of the stadium in an effort to prolong the game and put a stop to it. The contest was over by the time the ball was found. This led to the introduction of extra time, which prevented games from ending before penalties could be taken. The addition of stoppage time also prevented abrupt game ends at the conclusion of either 45-minute half.
This allowed the referee to decide when to call the conclusion of each half. Each half usually ends with one to five minutes of extra time added by the referees.
When stoppage time expires, the game doesn’t conclude abruptly either. If a squad poses a threat, the referee may permit the half to continue. When the ball is cleared, the official will almost always blow the half dead.
Read more: How long is a football game? Reasons for Injury/Added time
Why is there no overtime in group play?
Contrary to most American sports, soccer contests typically go into overtime. Regular season and group play conclude at the second half of stoppage time in many leagues and championships. If necessary, extra and penalty kicks will be used again once the Round of 16 is determined.
Difference between stoppage time and extra time
The distinction between stoppage time and additional time is often misunderstood. Stoppage time is time the referee adds to the end of a half to make up for time lost, whereas extra time is an additional period of play added to the end of a game if the scores are tied but the game still requires a winner.
When the allotted 90 minutes of game time have passed and the score is tied, extra time is a 30-minute interval added to the game.
It doesn’t matter if a soccer match ends in a draw. However, there must be a winning side in some games. This is frequently the situation in competitions where only one team can advance to the next round, such as the FIFA World Cup or Olympic Soccer.
If the scores are tied after the first 90 minutes of play, the referee then permits an additional 30 minutes of play so that more goals can be scored and one team can emerge victorious.
Related: How long is a high school football game last?
Why is there so much stoppage time at the World Cup 2022?
Fans and teams have both taken notice of the prolonged stoppage time in Qatar thus far, with several instances seeing more than 10 minutes added at the conclusion of a half.
In an interview in early November, famous former referee Pierluigi Collina said: “With a match with three goals and each time, the players celebrate for about a minute and a half. The match took about 5 – 6 minutes. We wanted to calculate the exact time plus. The initial tests were successful in Russia in 2018 and I expect the same at this year’s World Cup.”
FIFA has performed this effectively in Russia and hopes to replicate it in Qatar.
Here are some information about a football game’s injured period that we would like to share with you. Hopefully, after reading this article, readers already know the answer to the question about stoppage time in soccer as well as the laws and significance of stoppage time in this king sport.
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