Definition of Professional Time-Wasting

What is the meaning of Professional Time-wasting in the game of football?

The 2015 UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus (3-1) provided a perfect example of professional time-wasting. After scoring the second goal for his team deep in the second half, Luis Suarez took an opportunity to make the most out of a foul committed on him. He rolled around the pitch faking a serious injury, while in the same time eating valuable (for Juventus) minutes off the clock. After he finally limped off to the sidelines, at the slowest pace possible without being booked by the referee, he was ready to go back in the game right away. Once he returned on the pitch he was running normally and everything was fine.

Luis Suarez proved to be one of the best professional time-wasters once more that evening when he was substituted towards the end of the game and made possibly the slowest exit ever, walking at snail's pace from one end of the pitch to the other, again eating several minutes off the clock.

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The moral of the story is that if it is to the team's advantage, players and coaches often partake in professional time-wasting. Goalies often get yellow carded for taking too long to kick the ball into play and coaches almost always make last minute substitutions if they have a favourable result.

The time wasting tactics break the momentum of play and often frustrate the opposing team.

Referees count the time spent on time-wasting and they add some of it back in form of stoppage time at the end of the game.

Professional time wasting is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just part of football.