‘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.