Simone Inzaghi was unstoppable on the bench at the end of the Inter-Milan match. The neroli coach, frustrated by his team's heavy defeat that cost him the Italian Cup final, exploded at the fourth official. A reaction recorded by the cameras, where the technician demands in high tones and with harsh language that the referees not give extra minutes.
With a quick reaction and a pointed finger, Inzaghi approached referee Aureliano with a phrase clearly readable from his lips: “I don’t want extra time! Don’t make fun of the b*tch! I don’t want it!”. Faced with the fourth official’s attempts to calm the situation, the Inter coach repeated it loudly: “I don’t want it!”. With the score 3-0 now irreversible and the “ole” cheers of the red and black fans underlining the debacle, Inzaghi just wanted to get into the locker room quickly.
"non voglio il recupero eh! non mi prende per il culo eh! non lo voglio! non lo voglio!"
— ? AC Milan ????&???? || new account (@ACMilanMedia) April 23, 2025
pic.twitter.com/QVhs7gXl1A
And in fact, referee Doveri did not award any extra minutes, blowing the whistle to end the match shortly after the 90th minute. A decision that pleased coach Inzaghi, who immediately entered the field to greet first the referees and then the other members of the match, after having asked his players to greet the stands anyway.
But what does the regulation say in such cases?
Is overtime mandatory in a football match? Regarding the “duration of the match”, point 3 reads:
Each half of the game must be extended by the referee to make up for any time lost for:
REPLACEMENT
checking and/or removing injured players from the field
interruptions for intentional delays
disciplinary measures
interruptions for medical reasons permitted by the competition regulations, such as hydration breaks (no more than one minute) or cooling breaks (from ninety seconds to three minutes)
VAR checks and reviews
celebrations after goals
any other cause, including any significant delay in the restart of play (e.g. due to a foreign object on the field)
It is emphasized that in no official competition organized by the FIGC is it possible for teams to agree on a different duration of the two halves of the game, as this is not provided for by the relevant regulations.
Rule 7 | 69
The fourth official indicates the minimum stoppage time set by the referee at the end of the last minute of each half of play. The stoppage time may be increased by the referee, but may not be reduced. He must not compensate for a time error made in the first half by adding or reducing time in the second half.
There is also a kind of "unwritten rule", informal of course, linked to a certain common sense, which leads the referee not to give extra time if the result is already decided, perhaps after a consultation with the coaches. It is not known whether in the case of Inter-Milan, Aureliano asked Milan's Portuguese Conceiçao if it was okay, since Inzaghi had been clear. Considering the VAR check for Jovic's second goal, the substitutions and the yellow card, the conditions for giving extra time were there.