IF you have the ear of one of football’s most powerful men, you can make things happen.
And David Dein’s relationship with Arsene Wenger could lead to the biggest change the game has EVER seen.
Former Arsenal vice-chairman Dein is convinced the end of football being a 90-minute game is the way forward.
Dein and Wenger were Gunners colleagues for more than a decade and have been friends for nearly 30 years.
So when Dein asks Wenger, Fifa’s head of global football development and a key member of law-making body the International FA Board, to consider making football a 60-minute game, it will be taken seriously.
Dein’s argument is a simple one.
It is unfair to expect referees to also allocate the precise amount of additional time to make up for delays, time-wasting and ‘dark arts’.
Dein said: “I’ve asked all the refs in the Premier League, when the fourth official puts up the board for two, three or, four minutes, is that accurate to the last ten seconds?
“The answer is ‘No, no chance’.
“We should be able to know how long a game of football lasts — so my campaign is very simple.
“The average length of time a ball is in play in the Premier League and most western European games is around about 55 to 57 minutes.
“I would like to see a real-time two halves of 30 minutes, where the ball is in play for 30 minutes each half.
“Let’s have a clock where we can all see how much time is left.”
Dein says analysis of the second half of England’s Euro 2024 final loss to Spain makes his points.
In total, the three goal celebrations, substitutions and stoppages after fouls meant more than nine minutes of playing time were lost, in addition to time for throw-ins and goal-kicks. But French referee Francois Letexier added just FOUR minutes after the 90.
Dein added: “A goal celebration is normally two minutes, a VAR check could be two minutes, injuries could be a minute or two, plus subs. Over a game, that’s at least ten minutes.
“That is ALWAYS more than the time that is actually added on.
“So I’d like to see time stopping when there is time being lost.
“The fans will get value for money, they would get an extra ten minutes of football.”
Dein is one of the game’s movers and shakers and is on first-name terms with Fifa and Uefa figures.
That allowed him to lobby Wenger and Ifab to give his idea a go.
Dein continued: “I’ve spoken to Howard Webb and Anthony Taylor, who said they were in favour.
“The next thing is for Ifab to agree to trial it.
“That could be anywhere but I’ve already talked to the Dutch league.”
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