CONMEBOL wants NFL-style Halftime Show

Article posted by Coliseum, October 7^th, 2021

Image: Conmebol

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) wants to take a page out of the National Football League (NFL)’s Super Bowl Halftime Show in the sense that it has proposed recently lengthening half-time intervals during the finals of major club and national team matchups.

The ‘Archysport’ stated that the ‘halftime’ idea was floated as the 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 the FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, in March this year.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) is the continental governing body of football in South America, and it is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Paraguay, near Asunción.

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Halftime shows are a tradition during American football games at all levels of competition. Entertainment during the Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), represents a fundamental link to pop culture, which helps broaden the television audience and nationwide interest.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. The IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree to standardized laws for international competition, and has since acted as the “guardian” of the internationally used laws.

The ‘Archysport’ further stated that Domínguez is seeking that half-time intervals extend to 25 minutes, instead of the regular 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.”

Domínguez further wrote, “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 emphasize, 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^th and November 27^th, respectively. Both the fixtures will take place at the 60,235-capacity Estadio Centenario in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo after CONMEBOL awarded the hosting rights in May this year.

The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as Copa Sudamericana, is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American football.

The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América, is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football.

Domínguez’s vision for an extended half-time break is believed to be inspired by the Super Bowl’s Halftime Show. The NFL recently announced that the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show will be headlined by American rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and American singer Mary J. Blige, at the stunning 70,000-capacity SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (US) on February 13^th, 2022.

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