Injury time of more than ten minutes? We will see that more often at the World Cup in Qatar. “Clear instructions have been given,” says former referee and KNVB observer Ruud Bossen. “The VAR now also specifically keeps track of the time of substitutions and injury treatments.”
Bossen refereed a total of 616 official matches in professional football. That was in the period from 1992 to 2013. Nowadays, the Haarlemmer is a KNVB observer and he still runs his own glazier company.
“I was always very annoyed by players with falling illnesses or players who were slowing down. I then gave them yellow or said they could also leave the field in running,” says Bossen about his time as a referee.
Thirty seconds
With the introduction of the video referee, a lot has changed in football. Substitutions may also be made five times per game. “In my time it was very simple. Then only three substitutions were allowed. There were thirty seconds for each substitution and the injury time was usually two or three minutes.”
FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina has already announced that the long stoppage time at the World Cup will become normal. Bossen thinks that this will also happen in the premier league. “Last year you already saw stoppage time of five or six minutes. I think if players notice that eight or nine minutes will be added, they will be less likely to dawdle.”