FIFA right to extend World Cup final break for HT show’ says top events boss
FIFA would have been “wasting the moment” if it had not extended the World Cup final interval on Sunday to put on a half-time show, a top global events boss has said.
FIFA has said the show, featuring artists such as Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber, will last 11 minutes at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, but it has been reported the show will mean the gap between the first and second half being well in excess of the 15 minutes set down in the sport’s laws.
Some observers have criticised the move, but Michael Gietzen, the chief executive officer of Identity, told the Press Association: “FIFA is right to extend half-time and the people complaining are missing the point.
“Football has its own rhythm and its own rules and of course that matters. But a World Cup final isn’t ‘most of the time’.
“It happens once every four years, in front of the biggest audience any single sporting event can pull. Treating it like a normal weekend fixture is the mistake, not the half-time show.
“A good half-time show isn’t a distraction from the football. It’s part of the reason people remember exactly where they were when they watched it.
“A few extra minutes to get that right isn’t a compromise, it’s FIFA recognising that the final is a cultural event as much as a sporting one.
“Purists may call that a dilution. I’d call it FIFA catching up to what a decent proportion of audiences have wanted for years. A final like this comes round once every four years. Play it safe and you waste the moment.”
World Cup half-time show to be screened in full
Latest from Press Association:
ITV will broadcast the World Cup final half-time show in full, the broadcaster has confirmed.
The interval performance on Sunday will be the first of its kind for the tournament and will feature Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy and Justin Bieber.
ITV confirmed to the Press Association it will show the performance in full as well as match analysis during the final on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium. PA understands the BBC will announce plans for Sunday’s broadcast in due course.
Rumours suggest the half-time line-up might break governing body FIFA’s rules by extending the interval from a typical 15 minutes to up to 25 minutes. Many were also concerned that the spectacle would replace the broadcaster’s analysis by pundits.
Half-time entertainment has become a major feature of sporting events in the United States, notably during the Super Bowl. The performance at the World Cup final will be curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and will also feature Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS 22 Chorus and characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets. The show will be staged in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100m (£75m) to expand access to education and football for children around the world.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has described the performance as a “ground-breaking spectacle” that will “celebrate football, music and our shared values, ensuring a legacy that transcends the final whistle
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