Question Number: 35744

Law 7 - The Duration of the Match 10/8/2024

RE: Competitive or Pro Adult

Elly of Melbourne , Victoria Australia asks...

A player goes down injured in the 44th (or 89th) minute. He requires treatment on the pitch, which takes a full minute or two, or perhaps longer. This means that the 45th/90th minute arrives BEFORE play has resumed.

My question is, given that this will result in additional "stoppage time", when should the 4th official announce how many additional minutes will be played?
Should he announce the decision as "usual" (i.e. as soon as the 45th or 90th minute arrives), even though the time to be added on is not yet clear?
OR, should he wait until play is ready to resume (when he now knows exactly how much extra time is to be played) before announcing his decision, even if this is a few minutes AFTER the end of regulation time?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Elly
The accepted approach is for the 4th official to signal the number of additional minutes to be played at the 45th or 90th minute taking into account the time already lost.
So lets say the referee was going to play 3 minutes of added time before the 44th minute the 4th official board will show 4 minutes.
Additional added time will be added on by the referee so lets say play does not resume until the 47th minute play will be extended until the 51st minute.

Remember that the 4th official board only dosplays the minimum amount of added time that will be played. There are loads of examples of injuries, substitutions during added time that a referee will take account of and a referee will add on further time to take account of that additional lost time.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Elly,
if the LOTG are not affected by local tournament rules or league bylaws the referee by the authority granted with in the FIFA LOTG has the discretionary right as the neutral time keeper to add for lost time such as injury or unusual timewasting delays.

The reason I stipulate this power is included but often tempered, is the reality of field schedules/availability and tournament play are often subjected to very strict timelines. In fairness they do try to schedule a window of opportunity to hopeful permit a few minutes should it be necessary.

The accumulation of added time reflects how the game is played and the referees' decisions regarding the antics of the players. While players can be cautioned for such things as simulation, delaying the restart, the lost time can be added to the 45 minutes allowed per half in 90 minutes matches. Youth matches can be 30, 35, 40 minutes per half so any time used up unfairly can really affect the results as would the inability to extend time to make up for such things as injury delays or long drawn out substitutions.

As a general rule of fairness and respect I suggest that the referee, if the 4th official set up is not available to display the time cards for all to see is to simply shout out to the coaches
"We are into the last few minutes!" to
(a) stop the incessant, "How much time is left?" queries by the players. I usually answer lots or enough but most importantly, in my opinion
(b)the Coach are properly informed to make their tactical choices

I prefer not to state the exact time as it gives us a bit of leeway. In cases where the referee is forced to stop the match for a serious situation for a medical reason or one team is really dragging their feet on restarts because they are leading. I make it a point to point to my watch and state, "Do not worry!" "Time is stopped!"
I will make my displeasure known if there is one team trying to run time out by acting in an unsporting manner that their antics have been noted and whether I choose to caution or not, I WILL be adding all wasted time!

At the grassroots I talk in generalities! This allows discretion in just how much or how long I might allow for shenanigans but keep in mind the displayed time in elite soccer is the MINIMMUM amount that WILL be added. It could be longer as in more antics occurred or an injury, once the time was set or relayed to the touchlines, that required us to suspend the match. In professional soccer, the concept of added time (also known as stoppage time or injury time) is used to make up for time lost during the match due to various stoppages like injuries, substitutions, and other delays.

The added time is usually announced a few moments before the end of the half. This allows the fourth official to prepare and display the board indicating the minimum amount of added time. For instance, if 3 minutes are to be added, the board will be shown around the 44th minute for the first half and around the 89th minute for the second half.

The displayed added time is the minimum amount of time that will be added. If the board shows 3 minutes, it means at least 3 minutes will be added, but the referee can extend this if there are further stoppages during the added time. So, if there are additional delays, the match could go beyond the initially indicated added time.

The referee has the discretion to end the match once the added time has been played, considering any further stoppages that occurred during the added time. The match ends when the referee decides that all the time lost has been adequately compensated for.
Cheers