The sometimes very long periods of added time caused a stir on the first two match days of the second division. Now the head of referees at the German Football Association (DFB) has also commented on the matter.

Head of referees Knut Kircher has put the sometimes extremely long periods of added time on the first two match days of the second division into perspective. According to the managing director of the German Football Association (DFB) referee company, an average of 5:17 minutes of extra time has been added per half in each game so far this season, compared to an average of 4:26 minutes in the previous second division season. “So it’s not that much more, but there is a range of up to eleven or twelve minutes,” Kircher said on Tuesday in Frankfurt/Main.

For goals and substitutions, 30 seconds of extra time are added. In addition, there is real-time recording of injury breaks, VAR checks, and external influences such as pyrotechnics or thunderstorms. The second video assistant records all incidents and passes the information on to the referee, who ultimately decides on the amount of stoppage time. “There was criticism and a feeling among the clubs that it was not being applied consistently,” said DFL director Ansgar Schwenken: “We wanted to tighten things up to create greater reliability for the clubs.” Kircher expects that the net playing time will “probably increase a little.” Last season, the net playing time in the Bundesliga was just under 60 minutes. “However, increasing the net playing time is not the first priority,” Kircher emphasized: “The main focus is on traceability, transparency, and predictability.”

In addition to semi-automatic offside detection, comprehensive referee announcements following VAR decisions, the handshake dialogue before the match, and the increased use of referee cameras, there will be regional meetings between referees and coaches from the first two leagues. The first five meetings are scheduled for October 6. According to Kircher, the meetings will be “workshop-style”: “We hope to achieve greater understanding within the soccer bubble.”