Football is “sleepwalking into a disaster” by adding ever more demands on players and forcing them to make drastic decisions about their careers, Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has said. Premier League matches are set to last comfortably longer than 100 minutes on average in the season ahead after referees in competitions worldwide were instructed by the game’s lawmakers to more accurately measure time lost to stoppages. The approach was first adopted at the World Cup in Qatar last year where it was largely positively received, but Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United defender Raphael Varane have already highlighted the impact of such a move across a long domestic season. Varane retired from international football at the age of 29 earlier this year, likening the demands of the top-level game to being in a washing machine, and said the new measure was “damaging” alongside an already-packed schedule of matches. Molango believes other players will feel they have no option but to follow Varane’s lead, and fears matters will get even worse when European club competitions expand from 2024-25 and the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup kicks off at the end of the same campaign. “What (Varane) is saying is, ‘this is not sustainable’. And it’s only the start of the problem because by next year, when we open the new cycle, it’s going to be absolutely crazy. We are sleepwalking into a disaster,” he said. “It’s getting to a stage where it’s not about us telling them to take action. It is that they want to take it themselves. So what we’re saying to the authorities is that you’re bringing this to an extreme. “It’s not going to be a question of the union saying, ‘do this or that’. It’s players themselves who are saying to us, ‘let’s do something’. “It’s not sustainable, it’s not manageable and if you don’t do something we’re going to be in trouble.” Figures released on Twitter by the EFL indicated that the average ball-in-play time for the weekend’s matches was 58 minutes, up from 50 last season, while added time signalled by the fourth official increased by 5.9 minutes on average. Molango was asked whether he thought the length of matches would gradually return to normal as players became used to the new approach. “We need to reflect on how we got to this point,” he said. “That’s why we said we need to have these discussions with the authorities. “Until you see how certain changes play out, then it’s difficult to assess. I don’t think a measure that was applied for a tournament that lasts for a month can just be extrapolated immediately to an entire season.” It's not sustainable, it's not manageable and if you don't do something we’re going to be in trouble PFA chief executive Maheta Molango Molango said a “significant number” of players had raised concerns over the change in approach on added time when taken together with the congested calendar, and added: “After this weekend’s Shield (I had players) contacting me within hours of the end of the game. “And again, not about, ‘we’ve lost the game because of this’ and finding excuses. It was about the issue. That’s how smart they are. They’re seeing the bigger picture. They are saying, ‘if we, as two teams who love playing and don’t want interruption, don’t waste time, have eight minutes added at the end of the game, I don’t want to think what will happen to the teams that actually do waste time’. “And if you add those minutes, then by Christmas you have played five more games on top of the 70 you already play.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Bans for racism should match those for betting offences – Anton Ferdinand Arsenal agree deal to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya Jack Conan remains injury concern before World Cup after missing Portugal camp

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A groom has divided the internet after posting about his experiences leading up to his wedding day, revealing that he told his wife he wanted his ex-boyfriend to be his best man. The anonymous man wrote on Reddit and explained the context behind a disagreement he’d caused with his wife-to-be. The 27-year-old said that he was bisexual and hadn’t told his partner that he used to be romantically involved with one of his close friends. He wrote that the paid had dated for "less than a month" before deciding they were better off as friends. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The post read: "Near the end of the year I'm going to be marrying the love of my life, we have been together for four years now. Since I popped the question we've been busy planning, and one of the first things we decided was our wedding party. We both already knew exactly who we were going to ask and we had no issues with each other's choices, at least at the beginning. "My fiancée recently found out that I used to date my best man and is furious I never told her he was my ex and that I had not only invited him but also wanted him in the wedding party.” He added: "The thing is, I never purposely hid the fact we use to date from her, I just genuinely forgot. We have been friends for years and we got on so well we decided to give it a try and it just wasn't meant to be. we were 'together' for less than a month and it wasn't really that different from how we were being friends except we had sex sometimes. "I have to actively be reminded of it as it's not something I think about, when I look at him I don't see an ex I see my best friend of over 10 years. He was my friend for years before we dated and years after. I don't think it classes him as an ex and I don't think it should mean he's excluded from my wedding. But my fiancée is adamant that it's disrespectful to her and that it's her wedding so she should get a say. "I don't want to exclude him but if I knew she would react like this I might have just invited him as a guest." The post attracted some criticism, with some accusing him of keeping the truth from his partner. "Hiding some facts about your past romantic relationship is the same as lying. Why did you not tell her about him?" one wrote. However, another said that “it was an honest mistake”, adding: “I think you need to have a talk with her about why she feels disrespected without trying to discount her feelings.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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