FIFA break own rule in World Cup final as Spain and Argentina punished | Football | Sport

FIFA broke one of the laws of football during the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Controversy surrounded the match and the half-time theatrics, an unusual show curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

The likes of Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS and Madonna all performed on the pitch, ensuring that half-time would take much longer than a typical football match. As a result, the final technically breached one of the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) rules.

FIFA’s World Cup regulations claim that ​matches are played in accordance with the Laws of the Game set by ‌IFAB, which states that players are entitled to a half-time interval “not exceeding 15 minutes”.

But the second half resumed 27 minutes after the first period had ended, breaching the established rules.

The actual show only lasted 11 minutes in total, but installation of the stage took seven minutes and removal of the same stage and clearing of the pitch took approximately the same amount of time too.

The performance was the first of its kind during a World Cup but has become commonplace in the United States, especially during major sporting events such as the Super Bowl.

As a result, players from both teams were forced to contend with a longer break than they are used to, potentially impacting their performance. Bikes had been placed in each dressing room to help the squads stay warm and ready to compete after the extended break.

The show did not go down well with everyone, as Wayne Rooney led complaints live on the BBC, describing the show as “c***” and leaving his fellow pundits astonished.

When asked what his favourite moment was, he bluntly said: “I’ll be honest, when it finished. I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was c***.”

The opening ceremony also caused considerable delays, with the final kicking off six minutes after its scheduled 8pm start time.

Donald Trump‘s appearance also brought an extra layer of security, with many fans forced to wait hours to get inside the stadium, and some denied entry due to an issue with FIFA’s ticketing system.