Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear slams Premier League time-wasting
Leeds United CEO has slammed the amount of time-wasting in the Premier League and wants talks with the PGMOL about the problem.
The current time the ball is in play per game this season is lower than it has been for the best part of a decade and referees are not seemingly punishing the amount of time-wasting some teams and players are doing.
In his programme notes ahead of the Aston Villa game on Sunday, Kinnear did not hold back on the matter as he targeted the PGMOL and Premier League.
“Attempting to influence the process or quality of decision making in the heat of the match is virtually futile, but there has been much more progressive subsequent dialogue with the PGMOL and the Premier League,” he said, as quoted by Joe Donnohue.
“The fact that ‘ball in play time’ has reached a decade-low average of 55 minutes will hopefully create an impetus to address the systematic ‘game management’ that appears to be both increasingly pervasive and troublingly tolerated.”
Bold
It is a very bold strategy to challenge the PGMOL and the Premier League in such a public manner which could see them in trouble if his words are taken to heart.
The powers that be don’t take kindly to being aimed at with criticism but hopefully Kinnear has only earned himself a slap on the wrist if they deem it to be against what they and the rules believe.
But he, and every other CEO, director of football and chairman in the Premier League, should have the platform they require to voice their concerns about anything to the hierarchy and be able to communicate openly both ways.
Leeds United have never been a club to shy away from controversy or voicing their opinions and perhaps Kinnear should be trying to set up some form of union between all of the clubs where issues can be discussed internally before providing a verdict to the Premier League.
In other Leeds United news, Marsch had the luxury of this star player returning to his team for the visit of Aston Villa on Sunday.