Bundesliga set for longer games in effort to make added time fairer

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga games will take longer this season as Germany joins a drive to calculate added time more precisely.

Germany's top men's league is the latest to follow a trend set by the 2022 World Cup and the English Premier League by measuring the exact time taken up by events like red cards, penalties and injuries, and adding that amount on at the end of each half.

"We currently have just under 60 minutes of net playing time (with the ball in play), which will probably increase somewhat," said Knut Kircher, the German refereeing body's managing director of sports and communication, in comments reported Tuesday by German agency dpa.

The new Bundesliga season starts Aug. 22 but the changes have already taken effect in the men's second and third tiers. There's been a backlash against some decisions.

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