Dear @FIFA, @FA, and to whoever it may concern,
Today, I am writing to you a very sincere letter from the heart of someone passionate about football.
As someone who has followed football for 34 years, studied football extensively, dedicated his life to football, even abandoning his partner to do so - I feel the direction the sport simply doesn’t care about loyal consumers like me, and you opt to do. nothing about.
The product your game has became simply unwatchable.
I pay £100+ in total to be able to watch football games. I have 2 season tickets, for 2 different clubs, which combine to around £1,000 pounds. I have invested over at minimum over £20,000 into coaching courses, degrees, and coaching in a general aspect.
It is becoming a sport where I do not enjoy watching, nor I feel I want to dedicate my life to. After spending so much money, dedicating so much money, this is how you treat me? No care?
The product of your game has became less football, more rugby. The football isn’t even being played.
And no, my issue is not the set pieces individually. My issue at hand is the sheer incompetence of your officials, sport to adequately control added time.
Upon my studies, I came to a final conclusion that on average, the ball was in play for only an estimated 52 minutes of a football match, throughout the currrnt season. That is UNACCEPTABLE.
In comparison, the ball was in play on average for 74 minutes in Bundesliga, 71 minutes in Serie A, 69 minutes in La Liga, and 67 minutes in Ligue 1.
Do you think that is an acceptable disparity?
No. The most “physical league” in the world has the whistle blown for every soft foul, which leads to these set piece tactics that teams take 5 minutes to implement, and NONE of this is added on. It’s amateurish.
We, as consumers, enthusiasts, coinisseurs pay thousands, and thousands of pounds to watch football. We are not getting football. We are watching players play rugby in the box whilst someone wipes the towel for 5 minutes to take a long throw.
As a result, today I am writing to you to finally encourage you to introduce a stop clock.
An incredibly simple, simple change, that would enable the ball to be kept in play for the required time. No more time wasting, no more unwatchable product. Football will once again, be football. And consumers will not be robbed.
This message is not satirical. This message is from the bottom of my heart as an enthusiast of the sport. Me, and many others, do not like the game is going.
I hope you consider this, and I would be disappointed if you don’t.
Regards,
InvertTheWing.