Will a stopped clock end the time wasted in football?

One concern about switching to two 30-minute halves is the footprint of a match without a final point.

But is that really the case?

We will use the average time of a Premier League game – 100 minutes and 46 seconds – as our benchmark for comparison.

With a 60-minute clock that stopped when the ball went out and restarted when it came back in, a match featuring the average time lost to corners, goal-kicks and throw-ins would last 98 minutes and 35 seconds.

Add in the average time taken for free kicks, and we’re not too far off at 100 minutes and 46 seconds. So, with those numbers, the game’s footprint won’t be much longer than it is now.

But that’s the average game, of course. If we go back to the first example of Slavia Prague V Arsenal, that will take more than two hours to complete.

That uncertainty over the length of matches – especially those played at night – is not good for fans.

Equally, we don’t know how the Player Aircess will change. With no direct benefit from wasting time, will we ever see such excesses as that European Gole in Prague? Or can it get worse, as a quick restart makes no difference?

Perhaps the biggest issue for supporters of matches – even if things are standing – is to know how long it is played.

Many stadiums have a stadium clock that is not visible from all stands – and as you go down the divisions, they have more and more in supply.

Now, the fans even have a rough idea of ​​the time that happened in a game, and get stoppage time from the boards raised to 45 and 90 minutes. Without a visible match clock, it is very difficult to know how much time is left.

And at the grassroots level in particular, that becomes a significant issue.

Major league soccer tried a version of this for the first few seasons from its launch in 1996 to 1999.

The clock starts at 45:00 and counts down to zero, stopping if the referee deems it necessary, such as an important stoppage for an injury.

However, unlike the 60-minute idea, this version is not prepared for the ball without playing the entire run of the game.