FIFA World Cup: What is the reason behind 'longer than usual' stoppage time in Qatar?

There have been a few quirks to behold in this World Cup, but perhaps the amount of stoppage time given in matches continue to raise eyebrows, especially with each match having eclipsed 100 minutes in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.

While there has been no shortage of goals on the field during the first three days of the tournament, the time addition has certainly caught everybody's attention. Refereeing legend and chairman of FIFA’s referee’s committee, Pierluigi Collina, during an interview, spoke at length about how why the longer periods of stoppage time will be a frequent sight during the Qatar 2022 tournament.

FIFA clarifies why there are long stoppage time periods in Qatar

The lengthy injury time during the matches at FIFA World Cup 2022 will ensure there is more time with the ball being in play. Speaking to ESPN, Collina explained the reason behind the lengthy stoppage time periods. He said, "We told everybody to not be surprised if they see the fourth official raising the electronic board with a big number on it, six, seven or eight minutes. If you want more active time, we need to be ready to see this kind of additional time given. Think of a match with three goals scored. A celebration normally takes one, one and a half minutes, so with three goals scored, you lose five or six minutes."

"What we want to do is accurately calculate the added time at the end of each half. It can be the fourth official to do that, we were successful in Russia [2018] and we expect the same in Qatar. I am not talking about VAR intervention, this is something which is different and calculated by the Video Assistant Referee in a very precise way," he added.

Matches that witnessed World Cup injury time rule coming into play

The three matches on the second day of the FIFA World Cup 2022 witnessed long periods of stoppage time being added. During the England vs Iran match, which England won 6-2, almost 30 minutes of stoppage time were played across both halves. The time was extended after a head injury to Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and England defender Harry Maguire, and a longer than usual VAR check. The FIFA World Cup injury time rule benefitted Netherlands as they were able to score the second goal in the stoppage time. A total of eight minutes was added to the second half during England vs Senegal. The match between the USA and Wales saw nine extra minutes being added to the match.