Raphael Varane: Manchester United defender criticises added time and dissent rule changes

Raphael Varane joined Manchester United in August 2021

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane says new injury time and dissent rules are "damaging our game" and players are "not being heard".

Matches will have more injury time this season to more accurately reflect stoppages in play, while players and managers have been warned they face tougher punishments for poor behaviour at games.

On Sunday the new added time rule was criticised by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

He claimed the "big brains" did not consult people in the game after his side conceded in the 101st minute of the Community Shield, which they went on to lose on penalties to Arsenal.

Also in that match, Arsenal's Thomas Partey and City's Julian Alvarez were both booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle was blown for a free-kick, while Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was shown a yellow card after asking for Rodri to be booked as new conduct rules from the Football Association kicked in.

"We had a meeting last week with the FA. They recommended from the referees new decisions and rules," former France international Varane, 30, wrote in a post on social media on Monday.

"From the managers and players, we have shared our concerns for many years now that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it's at a dangerous level for players' physical and mental well-being.

"Despite our previous feedback, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity, and less emotions to be shown by players. We just want to be in good condition on the pitch to give 100% to our club and fans. Why are our opinions not being heard?"

World Cup winner Varane, who retired from international football earlier this year, added: "As a player I feel very privileged to do the job I love every day but I feel these changes are damaging our game. We want to be at our maximum level, the best we can be and put on amazing performances for fans to celebrate every week.

"I believe it is important that we, players and managers, highlight these important issues as we want to protect the game we love and give the fans our best."

Meetings took place with both City and United last week to discuss the implementation of these new rules.

The Professional Footballers' Association said its chief executive Maheta Molango had met with a "significant number" of senior players and managers in the past few weeks, including Varane.

"There are concerns about how the new additional time rules will play out over a long season of league and cup games, as opposed to short tournaments," a PFA spokesperson said.

"Across what is now essentially a year-long football season, players are already thinking of these additional minutes in terms of extra games being played. It also comes at a time when players are pushing back against what is, increasingly, a completely unsustainable football calendar."

Talking to BBC Sport about fixture congestion last month, Fifa vice-president and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said: "The pressure on the players is really only for the 1% [at the top of the game]. The rest of the footballers in the world don't play enough football. I can say that not only in my Confederation but even in Europe, for the majority of players, unless you are playing for a top, top club, when you are maybe not playing to the level others are playing at."

Why do we now have more injury time?

Football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), announced its intention to "create fairer conditions for both teams in terms of the amount of time available in a match" at the start of the year, a trend which came to the fore at the Qatar World Cup at the end of 2022.

Upon that recommendation, the Football Association and English Football League have told match officials to add on the exact time taken for certain events - like goals and substitutions - rather than the "nominal" amount they have previously used.

The average amount of time the ball spent in play in England during the 2022-23 season diminishes lower down the professional pyramid.

The Premier League average was 55 minutes, the Championship was 52 minutes, League One was 50 minutes, and in League Two matches just 48 minutes.

The first weekend of the 2023-24 EFL season was marked by many games with long amounts of injury time.

Guardiola said: "Now, every game we're going to play for 100 minutes. Wasting time, from my point of view, it is not going to be solved by extending 10 more minutes.

"It's more tiring for the players. It's too much."

In the build-up to the new Championship season, QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth was also sceptical. "I think that there will be some in-season reviews on some of these rules. I really do, because I can't see them working."

However, Charlton Athletic boss Dean Holden is "on board" with the bid to have more playing time.

"I am a trained referee myself and know how difficult it is to make so many decisions and to keep an eye on the time. I think it should be either the fourth official or someone in the stadium that does the time." He told BBC Sport.

Tougher punishment for poor behaviour

The Football Association, Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League, Women's Championship, National League System (Steps 1-4) and referees' governing body PGMOL have joined together to launch a 'participant charter'.

It was also developed in partnership with the League Managers Association and Professional Footballers' Association.

Players and managers have been warned they face tougher punishments for poor behaviour at games, while there are also new rules to adhere which cover the technical area.

The FA issued more than 20 fines to Premier League clubs last season for surrounding match officials or mass confrontations, totalling more than £1m.

The protocols for this season include a team's manager having to attend a pre-match briefing while "players and team officials not listed on the team sheet must not enter the technical area".