The half-time interval shall not exceed fifteen minutes. Competition rules shall clearly stipulate the duration of the half-timeinterval. The duration of the half-time interval may be altered only with the consent of the referee. If a match has been stopped by the referee, before the completion of the time specified in the rules, for any reason stated in Law 5, it must be replayed in full unless the rules of the competition concerned provide for the result of the match at the time of such stoppage to stand.
Players have a right to an interval at half-time.
A Referee has no power to set aside the Rules of CUPand other Competitions where the time to be played is specified. It is essential that Referees are aware of precise details of Competition Rules, e.g. number of substitutes, method of deciding the outcome of drawn matches. Normal period means 90 minutes, or if a shorter period is mutually agreed upon and is permissible under the Rules of the Competition the period should be divided in equal halves. Return to Laws of the Game main page.