Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu found himself in the thick of things during the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, albeit not in the way one might expect. Frustrated by what he perceived as Chelsea’s time-wasting tactics, Ampadu attempted to get involved in the Chelsea team talk during a break in play.
Ampadu’s Frustration at Wembley
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez slowed the game down by sitting on the pitch, claiming he needed treatment. The referee stopped the match and waved the physio onto the field. Chelsea’s outfield players then used the break to gather around their coaches for instructions. The Leeds fans inside the stadium booed, and Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu tried to place himself inside the Chelsea team talk.
Tactical Stoppages Under Scrutiny
The incident involving Ampadu underscores a growing frustration within football: the use of tactical stoppages to disrupt the flow of the game. Coaches are using these breaks to regroup their players, or simply to stifle the opposition’s momentum. Officials have been powerless to prevent the stoppages.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab) has been examining the issue. Leagues will be offered the chance to carry out a series of trials. Until a couple of seasons ago, it was usually an outfield player who would go to ground to stop play.
Goalkeepers and Time-Wasting
English football attempted to combat the problem by insisting that any player who receives treatment must leave the field for 30 seconds. Managers then switched focus and told the goalkeeper to ask for treatment.
As a team cannot play without a goalkeeper, it became a risk-free method of impacting the opposition, or getting the opportunity to talk to your team. Referees cannot accuse a player of faking an injury. If it turned out the player was genuinely injured there could be serious repercussions. Goalkeepers go down, the other 10 players rush to the technical area for a team talk.
As soon as the coach has delivered his message, the keeper miraculously gets to his feet. It has been a theme during Leeds’ season, starting in November when Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down as the West Yorkshire club were in the ascendancy at Etihad Stadium. Manager Daniel Farke accused Donnarumma of feigning injury to “bend the rules” and break up play.
IFAB Considers Law Changes
- Ifab changed several laws for next season to cover delaying tactics.
- These changes include putting a time limit on goal-kicks.
There is an argument that Ifab has been far too slow in tackling this. The issue has been discussed for a couple of years and was the subject of lengthy debates in the technical meetings of the football and referee advisory boards in October.