Kevin De Bruyne slams new stoppage time rules, as the Man City star claims ‘even the referees’ are against the regulations they have to enforce amid timewasting concerns

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne says the new rules on stoppage time make no sense and even referees don’t like them.

De Bruyne played for City in Sunday’s marathon Community Shield against Arsenal which lasted nearly 106 minutes after referee Stuart Attwell enforced the new guidelines.

Attwell added on three minutes at the end of the first half and eight at the end of the second – which were extended to more than 13 after Thomas Partey and Kyle Walker needed treatment following a clash of heads.

Arsenal equalised in the 101st minute before going on to beat City in a penalty shoot-out, and De Bruyne is concerned about the extra workload players will face with longer games this season.

‘Assuming we’re going to play about 15 minutes extra every game now, that says it all,’ said De Bruyne. ‘We spoke to the Arsenal players and even the referees. They don’t even want to do it, but it’s the new rule and it is what it is.

‘A game like today, even the first half with three minutes extra, you can only guess what’s going to happen if you play a lower team who keep timewasting all the time.

‘Today we played 12 or 13 minutes. I can see games going for 20 or 25 minutes. I think this will change in one or two months but this is the first game.’

City played 61 games on their way to the Treble last season and face an even tougher schedule this term with next week’s UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla in Athens and the FIFA Club World Cup in December to add on.

De Bruyne added: ‘I’m thinking if we play Sevilla in Olympiakos on Wednesday and have 15 to 20 extra minutes and then play on Saturday again (at home to Newcastle). It’s like two times extra-time. We’ll see how it goes, but it doesn’t make any sense.’

De Bruyne returned to action as a substitute in the Wembley showpiece after missing City’s pre-season games due to the hamstring injury he sustained in the Champions League final win over Inter Milan in June.

The 32-year-old Belgian has recovered quicker than expected but won’t rush his comeback with so many games to play this season.

‘I’m getting better and there’s still around 70-80 games this year so I should be fine!’ said De Bruyne. ‘I don’t know how I am physically. I’ve probably trained five or six times with the team. I’m not too worried about it. I played 45 minutes at a good level so I’m happy with that.

‘I’m way ahead of schedule. I was probably looking to be back around the Sevilla game. I just enjoyed my summer and worked on my injury. I came back and the scan was good so I trained mostly alone (on tour) in Japan. That went well. I’m happy.’