‘It’s stupid’ – World Cup players getting frustrated with long stoppage times as Switzerland’s Sow speaks out

Switzerland’s Djibril Sow has hit out at the unprecedented amount of stoppage time being added on at this year’s World Cup. 

​Qatar 2022 has seen long stoppagesPart of plan for more accurate calculationsSow criticised decision citing risk to players

WHAT HAPPENED? In a World Cup full of firsts, Qatar 2022 has also surprised in the number of minutes added on at the end of each half. While some pundits have praised the change due to more action on the pitch, Sow expressed players’ frustrations at their increased risk of injury, especially for games with results concluded long before the full-time whistle.

WHAT THEY SAID: “I saw the game between Spain and Costa Rica – I don’t think there needs to be eight minutes of stoppage time,” Sow told GOAL and Spox. “I think that’s stupid. You have to have a feeling for the situation. When it’s 6-0, you don’t have to add another eight minutes. It’s also about respect for your opponent. The longer the games go on, the more the body is strained. If you play 100, 105 minutes every time, I’m curious how many injuries there are [going to be].”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Eyebrows were initially raised when almost 30 minutes were added onin England’s opener against Iran on Tuesday, before a pattern began to emerge across later games involving Senegal and Netherlands and USMNT and Wales. Pierluigi Collina, legendary referee and chairman of FIFA’s refereeing committee, explained this would be a common theme throughout the tournament, in attempts to try and calculate added time more accurately.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

DID YOU KNOW? Aged 28 years and 238 days on average, Switzerland fielded their second-oldest ever starting XI at a World Cup in their win against Cameroon, having fielded an older team only in 1950 for their 2-2 draw against Brazil (28y 314d).

WHAT NEXT FOR SWITZERLAND? With a crucial opening-day win on the board, Switzerland take on five-time holders Brazil on Monday.

 

 

Related Post
Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Mavericks pick Cooper Flagg at No. 1 in 2025 NBA draft

Dallas Mavericks have bagged the services of forward Cooper Flagg with the first pick of… Read More

June 27, 2025

Nick Kyrgios predicts Carlos Alcaraz to have better career than Jannik Sinner

Nick Kyrgios has predicted that Carlos Alcaraz will have a better career than Jannik Sinner.… Read More

June 27, 2025

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City played like a good team after a long time

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola noted that his side played like a good team after… Read More

June 27, 2025

Aakash Chopra opens up on Jofra Archer’s return, says fast bowler can be a game-changer ahead of 2nd Test against India

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has noted that while Jofra Archer has been added… Read More

June 27, 2025

Michael Vaughan lauds Rishabh Pant, says there is a lot of science in his madness

Former England captain Michael Vaughan showered praise on Rishabh Pant after the opening Test match… Read More

June 27, 2025

Ajinkya Rahane picks India’s two best hundreds from ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane picked KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant’s centuries in the second innings… Read More

June 27, 2025