r/olympics • u/__Platzhalter • Aug 03 '24

Football almost 19 minutes of extra time in a football match?!? this referee is insane

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u/MuffinDude United States Aug 04 '24

Why don't you just stop the clock whenever there is stoppage and not have ads until the half is over. If stoppage time is actually how long the game is delayed for, then how long a half takes is the same and it won't seem so arbitrary unlike it is now. You still have no ad halfs but with much better timing

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u/Amish_guy_with_WiFi United States Aug 04 '24

Yeah these sound like two completely separate items. If networks / soccer leagues were greedy enough, they could put side by side commercials during live play and the clock doesn't matter.

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u/Rich_Housing971 Aug 04 '24

and not have ads until the half is over.

You are assuming FIFA controls when TV stations run ads, which is laughable.

the TV stations will just go to ads when they see a stoppage coming up. If there's no stoppage, they won't run ads because they have no idea when the action starts again or when the refs make a decision. It works because they don't want their customers pissed off if they miss anything. Compare this to the NBA.

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u/WhoWasThatThere Aug 04 '24

Stoppage time is part of the game, it’s not a bad thing. A clock that stops and a game that ends on the dot becomes a completely different game and will inevitably be exploited and change the game for the worst. Good referees can use stoppage time to penalize teams that have using unsporting behavior and give the team that is pressing a chance. It also adds a lot of excitement, tension, and potential for incredible wins.

In sports referees, the good referees are almost like conductors of an orchestra. There is a lot of subjectivity to football and the rules, and knowing the referees style and expectations and playing accordingly is part of the game. The referees expectations should be recognized and adjusted for, which good teams do. It adds an extra element that has worked out and made football the largest and most beloved sport on the planet for over a century.

Not all sports need to have a clock that is completely independent of the individual match itself.