Law 7 - The Duration of the Match
Official Publications Related to Law 7
- 04/22/2008 – Allowance for Time Lost
- A US Soccer Memorandum that details the procedure to use when adding time to a match, including the role of the fourth official in communicating any added time to necessary parties, as well as guidance to teams and administrators on the announcement of added time on TV or in-stadium.
- 01/01/2004 – Law 7 Duration of the Game (Power Point)
- A US Soccer prepared Power Point Presentation that details several common situations in which additional time need be added to a match. Includes some basic guideline time-frames for adding time for injuries, substitutions, etc.
- 03/04/2003 – Managing Match Time
- A US Soccer Memorandum that examines situations in which a referee shall add additional time to a match.
Additional Time
In reference to the April 22, 2008 US Soccer Position Paper entitled “Allowance for Time Lost,” the management of stoppage time can be critical for game control. Announcements are made publicly in each stadium that the time indicated by the 4th official is the MINIMUM amount of extended time. Consequently, if a referee indicates 3 minutes, no less than 3 minutes can be played. The referee can use discretion and add more time but this should be managed in way, that if all possible, the teams are made aware of the added time. Referees should coordinate the appropriate signals with the 4th official prior to the game.
This is a critical point, since when the statement of added time becomes public; it becomes a matter of record as well as an expectation (an expectation of coaches and players as well as the public and the press).
In the video clips below, you can see the cumulative effects of referees improperly ending the match before playing the full allotted stoppage time, and the reaction of players and coaches in a close, heated contest:
- Video Clip: RSL at Toronto (90:00). In this clip, you can see that the referee/4th official has indicated 3 minutes of additional time. However, as the tape progresses, the referee ends the game at 91:57. One team was denied at least 1:03 of playing time.
- Video Clip: RSL at Toronto (45:00). The referee fails to play the indicated amount of additional time by 17 seconds while the attacking team has the ball in the forward half of the field. Between the first and second halves of this game, the losing team was denied 1:20 of total playing time. This is significant and should not occur.
- If you indicate “3 minutes of additional time” then you MUST play at least 3 minutes – 2 minutes and 50 seconds is not acceptable.
- Due to circumstances that occur during the indicated “additional time,” you are permitted to extend the time to accommodate time lost for substitutions, assessment of injuries, and removal of players from the field of play for treatment, time wasting and any other cause. If you decide to play a significant amount of time over the originally indicated amount, the referee should make every effort (given game situations) to communicate the additional time to both teams.