Brasileirão is the second league with the least time the ball is in play

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Coluna do Fla

·7 March 2026

Brasileirão is the second league with the least time the ball is in play

Survey Points to Stoppages in Brasileirão 2025

Former Flamengo coach, Filipe Luís, used to complain about the stoppage time in the Brasileirão. After all, the referees ‘chop up’ the games a lot. The numbers prove that the coach was right. In a survey conducted, the Brazilian Championship appears with 46.7% of ‘pause’, the second worst in the ranking that analyzed eight leagues.

WHAT ARE THE EIGHT LEAGUES WITH THE LEAST PLAYING TIME?

1 – Argentina: 50.5% playing time x 49.5% stoppage time; 2 – Brazil: 53.3% playing time x 46.7% stoppage time; 3 – Italy: 55.5% playing time x 44.5% stoppage time; 4 – Spain: 56% playing time x 44% stoppage time; 5 – England: 56.1% playing time x 43.9% stoppage time; 6 – Germany: 57.3% playing time x 42.7% stoppage time; 7 – France: 57.8% playing time x 42.2% stoppage time; 8 – United States: 58% playing time x 42% stoppage time.

The study was conducted by the Argentine newspaper ‘La Nación’ with the eight leagues mentioned above. The Argentine Championship is precisely the leader in the stoppage ranking, with 49.5% stoppage time. After Brazil, which is second, comes Italy in third place.

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HAS LEONARDO JARDIM ALREADY COMPLAINED ABOUT THE REFEREEING?

When he managed Cruzeiro last year, Leonardo Jardim, the new coach of Flamengo, made harsh criticisms of the refereeing. The coach even threatened to leave Brazil because of everything he saw in the Brasileirão. See the Portuguese's outburst in October 2025.

— The duality of criteria. They say welcome to Brazil, but I don't want that for myself. I like to control the game and for the players to be responsible. When I arrived here, two or three people said: ‘Welcome to Brazil’. I am very frustrated. As a coach, I can only interfere in a few things. The joy I have had in Brazil with the fans, with the fantastic group at Cruzeiro, with all these people —, said Leonardo Jardim, at the time.

— I am frustrated, I don't know if it's worth continuing in Brazil when, in reality, we are not the ones controlling the game. I am extremely frustrated. This is a balance. The frustration is almost equaling the weight of the satisfaction of coming to Brazil to enjoy the game, the excitement, the fans, and the passion people have for football —, he added.

SO, WHEN WILL LEONARDO JARDIM RETURN TO THE BRASILEIRÃO?

Now at Flamengo, Leonardo Jardim will return to the Brasileirão precisely against Cruzeiro, next Wednesday (11), at Maracanã. Before that, however, the coach will try for the Campeonato Carioca title against Fluminense, this Sunday (08), starting at 6 PM (Brasília time).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.