Raphael Varane hits out at 'damaging' injury time rule changes
- English football has altered its injury time rules to create longer games
- The system divided opinion at the 2022 World Cup and was also used in the Community Shield
- Varane believes such a change will damage the game
By Tom Gott
Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane has hit out at English football's rule-makers over the change to injury time regulations.
The Premier League will adopt the same stoppage-time procedure that was used during the 2022 World Cup, which takes into account every second missed for substitutions, set-piece preparations, goal celebrations and more.
It leads to significant increases in added time at the end of each half - as was seen in Sunday's Community Shield clash between Arsenal and Manchester City, in which Leandro Trossard struck in the 101st minute of the game to send it to penalties.
The extra game time has been criticised by Varane, who believes players are already playing too many minutes anyway.
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"We had a meeting last week with the FA. They recommended from the referees new decisions and rules," the Man Utd defender explained on Twitter.
"From the managers and players, we have shared our concerns for many years now that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for players physical and mental well-being.
"Despite our previous feedbacks, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity, and less emotions to be shown by players. We just want to be in good condition on the pitch to give 100% to our club and fans. Why are our opinions not being heard?
"As a player I feel very privileged to do the job I love every day but I feel these changes are damaging our game. We want to be at our maximum level, the best we can be and put on amazing performances for fans to celebrate every week.
"I believe it is important that we, players and managers, highlight these important issues as we want to protect the game we love and give the fans our best."
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