The Premier League will not follow FIFA 's new lead on stoppage time when the domestic season resumes, according to reports.
Throughout the first week of the World Cup eyebrows have been raised at the amount of time added on at the end of each half. FIFA referees' chief Pierluigi Collina wants to ensure that all "unnatural time" which is lost is subsequently added on, which has seen several matches exceed the 100-minute mark.
Officials have sought clarification from the PGMOL on whether they will be asked to implement a similar attitude, but the Daily Mail understands they won't be. The average match at the World Cup has lasted 102 minutes and 42 seconds - four minutes longer than the average top flight game in England this term.
The PGMOL have held talks with domestic referees and have told them to instead put off restarting their watch until play has begun following a pause. Players, who have expressed fears over the increased possibility of injury due to fatigue, will welcome the decision.
Fifpro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann has said: "If effective playing time is increased by 10 to 15 per cent, this adds substantially to the time under physical competition for players. More than anything it underlines again how critical workload protection is for players. It needs to be established now."
Collina has looked to justify the unusually long amount of stoppage time by explaining the difference between time that is wasted by players - and that which goes by due to other factors. The Italian, previously renowned as one of the game's leadings refs, also claimed people shouldn't be surprised by the new directive.
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“When we speak about wasted time in a match, we should make a difference between the time wasted because of the game, and the time wasted deliberately by players. The largest part is the time wasted because of the match,” he said.
“What we already did in Russia, you may remember, is to more accurately calculate the time compensated at the end of each half. We told everybody, don’t be surprised as you will see the fourth official raising the electronic board with a big number on it: six, seven, eight minutes.”
Last month IFAB, who are responsible for the game's rules, rebuffed the idea of an NFL-style system which would see games reduced to 60 minutes of genuine playing time. As a result the clock would be stopped when the ball goes out of play or for other unnatural breaks.
