Celtic would benefit more than Rangers from FIFA’s new stoppage time directive if it is to be implemented in Scotland, according to a former ref.
The last minute is no longer the last minute during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Several games have even gone beyond the 100 minute mark with officials told to clamp down on time wasting and add on every additional second at the end of matches. Ten-man Wales were undone against Iran, going down 2-0 thanks to goals from Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian in the 98th and 101st minute respectively.
Whether we’ll see Scottish Premiership games extended by up to as much as ten minutes isn’t yet known. But ex-whistler Steve Conroy reckons it would suit Ange Postecoglou’s team if it's brought in - far more than their city rivals. The champions score their fare share of late goals as it is, most recently in their late win over Dundee United. But prepare for even more if Scottish refs are told to get tough on slow down antics.
Conroy, who was speaking to BonusCodeBets, said: “Currently, Celtic would benefit from the new rules most because they play everything so quickly and they don't want any breaks at all. Celtic steamroll everyone so the longer that they have the ball and play, the more likely they are to benefit from it. It would definitely do Celtic the power of good.
“Rangers wouldn't benefit from it as much as Celtic but they will both beat most other teams so the longer the ball is in play, the more likely they are to benefit but Rangers don't play like Celtic - Celtic are non-stop.”
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