In a recent appearance on Sky Sports, Crawford Allan discussed new guidelines the Scottish Football Association will implement to curb time-wasting, a move that could play to Celtic’s advantage.
Allan explained that these measures, including the addition of time for goal celebrations and other game disruptions, were influenced by similar guidelines used in the last World Cup. During the competition in Qatar, we saw plenty of added minutes at the end of the first half and second half.
These adjustments aim to ensure teams can’t exploit time-wasting tactics to break up and disrupt the flow of the game. For a team like Celtic, known for their continuous and attacking play, such rules could be particularly beneficial.
Allan stated on Sky Sports, “That is now being added into Law 7, and we’ve covered it with referees and said ‘make sure you get the time added on.’ The referees will time that, a bit like a substitute, and then add that.”
The result may well see substantial additional time added to games. “I do think we’re going to see six, seven, eight minutes possibly added on at the end of halves that maybe had two or three goals, subs, an injury, maybe a VAR delay,” Allan commented. “That’s going to be managed a little bit more proactively.”
These new rules signal a proactive stance from the SFA to keep the game flowing and prevent any unsportsmanlike attempts to manipulate game time. While it’s yet to be seen how these rules will affect the league’s dynamic, it’s a positive move towards a fairer and more exciting game for all involved.
