Should football referees stop the clock?
The amount of time the ball is in play has become a major issue, but cutting each half to 30 minutes and stopping the clock would be worse
The ball was in play for 56 minutes and 58 seconds on average in the Premier League across the 2024-25 season. Given that even the cheapest tickets are at least £40 in most venues, it feels like fans paying to watch 90 minutes of action are being short-changed, so radical action is needed.
There is a seductive argument to reduce each half to 30 minutes and stop the clock whenever the ball is out of play. But before changing the laws of the game we must also consider the law of unintended consequences.
Those advocating for stopping the clock are assuming no change in player behaviour, but that seems unlikely. Sure, teams slow the game to waste time, but they are also trying to give their players time to recover, regroup and kill their opponents’ momentum.
With the clock stopped, winning teams will inevitably drag their feet at every restart, leaving the referee with a judgement call on when to issue a yellow card for undue delay. Those who thinks that’s easy are deluded. Consistency, anyone?
Before long, when all 3 o’clock kick-offs finish after 5pm and evening matches are running long past bedtime, sports scientists, managers and club owners will join forces to lobby for a ‘time out’ midway through each half.
The former will argue that players need to rehydrate, coaches will spy the chance to issue tactical instructions and owners will be eyeing up further revenue at the pie shops and bars. Broadcasters will no doubt be supportive, as the break can be filled with lucrative adverts.
And with half the clubs now owned by Americans, the temptation to divide the game into four quarters will become irresistible. Remember, American Football started with two 45-minute halves with a running clock and now takes north of three hours to complete. One of the joys of football is its continuity.
Managing the clock has become a key strategy in gridiron, where losing quarterbacks throw the ball into the ground, over the sideline or to a team mate who immediately runs off the field to stop the clock on catching the ball. By contrast, their opposite numbers run down the play clock to the last nano-second.
So, what’s the alternative? An option that has been mooted is to force teams to restart the game quicker by using the same countdown that makes goalkeepers release the ball within eight seconds. Miscreant goalies concede a corner.
That change, made in 2025, has proved successful because the sanction is meaningful, proportionate and easy to police. Previously, referees were supposed to award an indirect free kick if the ’keeper held the ball for more than six seconds. They didn’t because the restart would take ages to organise, which defeated the object.
The idea under consideration by the International Football Association Board – the custodians of the laws – is that a team would have limited time to take throw-ins and goal-kicks, with the ball passing to the other team when they exceed the limit.
There would still be the question of how long would be too long. A typical goal kick takes 25-30 seconds, but some will take much longer, so what limit shall we set?
Throw-ins take around 15 seconds on average, but there’s a wide range, with some consuming up to a minute. Teams that have a right back with a long throw will still expect their player to be allowed to make their way to the left wing.
A bigger issue in any event are free kicks nearer goal, which can take forever to set up. The attacking team tries to manipulate the position of the ball, the defending side is reluctant to retreat, and players of both teams grapple and wrestle for position in the box. The referee has to sort out all three issues before restarting the match.
Nonetheless, the countdown idea might be worth a try in the professional game, where multiple balls are on hand, though is less practicable on parks where the only ball might have to be retrieved from the next field.
All teams indulge in time wasting when it suits, then complain when their opponents do likewise, leaving the officials caught in the middle.
It’s time the spotlight was shone on those who specialise in the so-called dark arts. Rather than encouraging or even celebrating such nefarious activities, everyone in football should unite against them, call them out as cheat codes and get on with the games, regardless of the scoreline.
Unlikely? I guess so. But what does it say about the culture of our sport that so many people will scoff at this idea?
Recommended reading
Why the most common arguments against the stop-clock are nonsense | Mackay Analytics | 8 February 2023
Stop-Clock in Football: Is it time? | Sport Squabble | 30 May 2022
Why Time Wasting Is Ruining Football | The Daisy Cutter | 5 December 2017