Conmebol continues looking for ways to improve its highly praised, popular competitions by taking into account what's best for teams, players, and fans. And it's no secret that the South American soccer community is extremely engaged with the region's top tournaments.
This time, the confederation's chairman Alejandro Dominguez wrote a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino proposing a change of rules that would see an extended halftime of both the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana finals.
The idea was submitted earlier this year, on March 4, to the International Football Association Board (IFAB). If FIFA accepts the request, we could see a Super Bowl-style halftime show in the two Conmebol club tournaments' finals.
Conmebol proposes rule change to FIFA to extend the halftime in the finals
The South American soccer confederation proposes to lengthen the interval of the Libertadores and Sudamericana finals to 25 minutes, ten more than the current and traditional 15-minute break.
That way, the letter read, a longer halftime would make it possible to offer a more entertaining show for fans who are in the stadium and also to those are watching on TV, just like it happens in the NFL and other major sports.
Besides, Conmebol also claims this would be beneficial for teams as their players would have more time to rest and recover for the second half while coaches would have more minutes to give instructions and make any adjustments. Everyone would be more prepared for the remainder of the game, producing a more attractive final.
Considering that these finals could go to extra time and penalties, Dominguez added that a longer interval would also help players to deal with the stress and tension these kinds of games always produce.
Should FIFA accepts Conmebol's petition, the extended halftime would be put into effect for this year's Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores finals scheduled for November 20 and November 27, respectively.
