Bundesliga mulls over making extended match duration a regular feature
Bundesliga Introduces New Guideline for Added Time
The German Bundesliga has announced a new set of guidelines for referees, aiming to increase the number of goals scored in added time during the upcoming season. The focus of these changes is to reduce deliberate delays by goalkeepers and speed up the game pace.
According to the new rules, if goalkeepers engage in time-wasting, they will be penalized with a corner kick awarded to the opposing team, rather than just adding more stoppage time. This is a significant change that sets the Bundesliga apart from other leagues, as it introduces a concrete sanction for time-wasting.
Alex Feuerherdt, head of communication and media at DFB Refereeing GmbH, stated that this change is intended to achieve greater transparency and increase the net playing time. The VAR assistant is now responsible for recording injuries, external influences, VAR interventions, and longer VAR checks in real-time. After a prior consultation with the VAR and a plausibility check, the VAR assistant communicates the minimum added time to the referee.
The extended times on the first matchday were reminiscent of the marathon matches seen at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In the 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga, there were long added times on the first matchday. For instance, in the 3. Liga, the average added time in the second half was 6.8 minutes across ten matches.
One match that stood out was the game between Wehen Wiesbaden and an unnamed opponent in the 3. Liga, where Wehen Wiesbaden increased their lead after the extended time. Similarly, in the 2. Bundesliga, SCP's Filip Bilbija scored the winning goal in the 99th minute against Holstein Kiel.
Mitch Kniat, coach of Arminia, was surprised by the extended time in a home win against Fortuna Düsseldorf. Kniat's team was comfortably leading 4:1, with Sam Schreck scoring the final goal in the 97th minute.
Starting from the 2025/26 season, the length of added time will be more closely adjusted to the actual time lost. This adjustment is intended to provide stricter time-keeping and more precise calculations of added time. However, no other direct changes specifically about how added time is calculated or implemented in Bundesliga matches for 2025/26 are mentioned in the sources.
Referee Patrick Alt explained that the extended time was to unify it across all leagues, ensuring a consistent approach to added time in all German football matches. The final decision, as always, remains with the referee.
These changes are part of a broader evolution of football rules surrounding stoppage time, with a focus on encouraging a faster-paced game and reducing unnecessary delays.
The new guidelines in the Bundesliga for added time now penalize goalkeepers who engage in time-wasting with a corner kick awarded to the opposing team, as part of an effort to speed up the game pace and reduce deliberate delays. Furthermore, these changes intend to harmonize the length of added time across all German football leagues starting from the 2025/26 season, to promote consistency and a faster-paced game.
