A major rule change in football may soon be introduced, driven by the relationship between two prominent figures in the Premier League.
David Dein, the former vice-chairman of Arsenal, is advocating for a proposal to reduce the length of a football match from 90 minutes.
Dein has maintained a close friendship with club legend Arsène Wenger after their long collaboration at Arsenal, and now that Wenger is the head of global football development at FIFA and a key member of the International FA Board, he may give serious consideration to Dein’s proposal.
Dein believes it’s unrealistic to expect referees to accurately calculate stoppage time, suggesting that matches should consist of two 30-minute halves with a stopped clock during interruptions.
During a discussion on talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition, the 81-year-old stated, “I’ve asked Premier League referees if the stoppage time shown by the fourth official is accurate down to the last ten seconds, and the answer is always ‘No, no chance.’
We need clarity on match duration, so my proposal is simple. The typical ball-in-play time in the Premier League and most Western European matches is around 55 to 57 minutes.
I suggest real-time halves of 30 minutes each, with a visible clock for tracking remaining time.”
Dein pointed out that during England’s Euro 2024 final loss to Spain, over nine minutes of actual play were lost, but only four minutes were added.
He explained that goal celebrations, VAR reviews, injuries, and substitutions can easily total ten minutes of stoppage.
“This is consistently more than what gets added on,” he noted, adding, “I would like to see the clock stop whenever time is wasted.”
Dein mentioned he has discussed this concept with two leading Premier League referees, Howard Webb and Anthony Taylor, who expressed their support. He concluded that the next step is for IFAB to consider a trial of this idea.
