Although there is a specified time limit of 90 minutes (which consists of two 45-minute halves) for football matches, fans may have noticed that recent games have rarely stayed inside this timeframe.
All 35 games in the first weekend of the 2023-24 English Football League season had at least eight more minutes of play, and numerous Saturday games with 3pm kickoffs finished far later than 5pm.
In place of the “nominal” quantity they had previously used, match officials are now instructed to put on the precise amount of time required for particular events, such as goals and substitutes.
The Championship game between Middlesbrough and Millwall at the Riverside was the shortest of the first 35 games of the season, with ‘only’ eight minutes and 45 seconds added over the course of both halves. Middlesbrough lost 1-0 at home.
But why is there so much added time in football matches this season and what were the weekend’s longest EFL matches?
Why is there so much added time in football this season?
Added time is extending games for fans to get back to viewing 90 minutes of actual football.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab), which oversees the rules of the game, declared earlier this year that it sought to "create fairer conditions for both teams in terms of the amount of time available in a match".
The board said: “In line with the most recent Ifab guidance, the EFL and PGMOL (Professional Game Match Official Limited) are committed to ensure a more accurate calculation of additional time alongside an improvement in the amount of time the ball is in play from the start of the new season.”
The precise amount of time needed to deal with injuries, penalties, and red cards —from the moment of the offence to either the whistle of the spot-kick or the player leaving the pitch — will also be tacked on, in addition to goals and substitutes.
The EFL announced that match officials will deal with players who waste time in a more “robust approach” in an effort to significantly reduce the amount of time lost.
Anyone who delays the start of play or doesn't retreat a sufficient amount at a free-kick will receive a yellow card.
What are the Weekend’s longest EFL matches?
- Northampton v Stevenage - League One - 112 mins 36 secs
- Shrewsbury v Cheltenham - League One - 110 mins 47 secs
- Accrington v Newport - League Two - 110 mins 47 secs
- Sutton United v Notts County - League Two - 110 mins 41 secs
- Barnsley v Port Vale - League One - 110 mins 33 secs
