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Justin Bieber was part of World Cup rule break during first ever half-time show
Joshua N.
Justin Bieber performed as part of the World Cup final half-time show, which lasted longer than expected.
This year's final at the New York-New Jersey stadium was the first of its kind to feature a half-time show, which was fitting given the host nations.
Spain emerged as 1-0 victors over Messi and his Argentina side, in a cagey final where the latter had more bookings than shots on goal.
La Roja won't care too much, as an extra-time half-volley by substitute Ferran Torres sealed the European champions' second-ever World Cup win.
But in the midst of 120 minutes of scrappy soccer, FIFA had planned a half-time show featuring the likes of Bieber, Shakira, Madonna, Coldplay, and BTS among other artists.
They remained adamant that the show would rarely breach the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) rules on the duration of a half-time break, but this was far from the case.
Half-time show broke FIFA rules
FIFA had claimed that the half-time show would last just 17 minutes, with the music acts taking just 11 minutes to perform.
Even if this was the case, IFAB states that half-time must "not exceed 15 minutes."
Broadcasters prepared for a half-hour stoppage regardless, with the second half restart expected to be delayed.
The Times journalist Martyn Ziegler took to X after the show's conclusion, writing: "Half-time was 27min 18 secs - the maximum permitted under FIFA's laws of the game is 15 mins."
Unfortunately for Beliebers, the Canadian popstar is partly guilty for contributing to this precedent, despite delivering a heartfelt version of 'EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH', with a World Cup twist.
The Super Bowl-inspired mini-concert opened with Madonna walking out with soccer legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo Nazario, before other acts performed to the millions watching around the world.
Ultimately, the break was almost half an hour, but luckily for soccer fans, it didn't have too much of an effect on the run of play.
The extra time taken to set up and dismantle the stage didn't change the run of play, with Spain holding the majority of possession as Argentina fought to defend their box over the course of 90 minutes, failing to register a shot on target.
After a 0-0 finish after 90 minutes, the game went to extra-time, where Spain finally broke the deadlock at the start of the second period, as Ferran Torres lashed home.
Argentina, who had a man sent off, also started a brawl following the final whistle, leaving a mark on Lionel Messi's final ever World Cup game.
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FIFA has held a half-time show in the past
The football federation has broken its own rules in the past, having held a half-time show during last year's Club World Cup final, which was also held in the US.
This lasted a similar amount of time, at 25 minutes, and caused many fans to become frustrated with FIFA as they initially failed to confirm the exact length of the World Cup final's half-time show.
Whether a half-time show will become a regular fixture at World Cup and Club World Cup finals is yet to be announced, but soccer purists will surely want to put a stop to that possibility.