The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has proposed lengthening half-time intervals during the finals of major club and national team competitions with a view to staging events similar to the NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The proposal emerged as CONMEBOL published a letter written by its president, Alejandro Domínguez, to the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino. In the letter, Domínguez reiterated a proposal that CONMEBOL sent to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA secretary general, Fatma Samoura, in March.
Domínguez is seeking that half-time intervals extend to 25 minutes, instead of the regulation 15 minutes, and wrote: “A half-time slightly longer would allow a high-quality artistic spectacle to be offered to fans present in the stadium and those who follow the television broadcast, as happens in other sports, with excellent receptivity.
“In addition, with this modification, the athletes would have a better physical recovery and the coaches the opportunity to make more precise adjustments or give clearer instructions, with which the level of competitiveness and the quality of the game would increase.
“Let’s not forget that in these games, which frequently reach 120 minutes or penalties, the players are subjected to enormous physical demands and extreme psychological stress and emotions. It is important to emphasise, dear president, that this change would apply exclusively to the final championship matches.”
CONMEBOL is seeking permission to implement these changes for this year’s Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores finals, which are scheduled for November 20 and 27, respectively. The games are both taking place at Estadio Centenario (pictured) in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo after CONMEBOL awarded the hosting rights in May.
Domínguez’s vision for an extended half-time break is believed to be inspired by the Super Bowl’s Halftime Show. The NFL yesterday (Thursday) announced that the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show will be headlined by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on February 13, 2022.
Image: Marcelo Campi/CC BY-SA 2.0/Edited for size
