The FIFA World Cup final half-time show is all set to last for half an hour as the world body will break tradition, with glitz and glamour finding a place at the biggest sporting event on planet earth.
FIFA has introduced a Super Bowl-style half-time event that will take place at the break of play.
Global music stars, including Justin Bieber and Shakira, are all set to headline the glitzy halftime show. But the BBC and ITV had earlier opted not to air the performance, choosing instead to focus on highlights and analysis from the opening 45 minutes of the game at MetLife Stadium in New York.
But it now appears the performance will be available for viewers after all, with the halftime interval expected to be extended. Given FIFA’s history of permitting longer breaks for major showpieces, this year’s halftime show is expected to last around 30 minutes, according to a report in The Mirror.
The halftime interval during the Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain was extended to 25 minutes to accommodate the entertainment programme. FIFA has also declined to specify how long the break will be at this year’s World Cup final, according to reports, fuelling expectations that it could again be longer than the traditional 15-minute interval.
The International Football Association Board, football’s law-making body, rejected a proposal from South American governing body CONMEBOL to extend the halftime interval to 25 minutes, citing concerns over the ‘negative impact on player welfare and safety resulting from a longer period of inactivity’.
But the halftime entertainment at this year’s FIFA World Cup final appears all set to exceed IFAB’s prescribed 15-minute break.
The decision has drawn criticism from many England supporters as well, who will be hoping the Three Lions overcome Argentina and book their place in a first FIFA World Cup final since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1966.
