Recently we can see matches getting longer and longer. It started with Qatar and FIFA asking referees to prolong added time as much as possible, if there were any delays. Apparently more than 9 hours were added with extra time in all matches, as calculated e.g. here.
Now we have very long matches in La Liga and Premier League - e.g. Getafe vs Barcelona - this season.
I'm wondering if anything like that applies to European leagues such as Champions League. I've seen articles about UEFA representatives rejecting/disliking the idea, e.g. this one. Zvonimir Boban said:
I can say that it’s absolutely absurd myself,
Yet I could see some very long added times even in qualifiers of all the leagues. E.g. Viktoria Plzen - Drita had ~25 minutes of added time in 2nd half alone.
Any idea if any official regulations were established regarding this?
Some other references:
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has encouraged referees to follow the approach taken at last year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar and introduce extended periods of stoppage time to combat time wasting.
The Premier League are taking their cue from the 2022 World Cup after stats showed the ball was only in play around 55 minutes on average in top-flight games last term.
Referees will now be obliged to specifically time interruptions before restarts after a goal, a substitution, injury, or set-piece.
