|Given all the talk about timings.

Have the FA / Fifa ever made a statement about why they object to official time keepers separate from the referee and count down clocks like they have in most US sports.

I'm not in favour of them, as a football match could go on for six hours if ice hockey matches were typical but they must have been considered, if not due to American pressure when the US hosted the world cup then at least when the referees gifted Manchester United the title a few years ago when they won it, but would have finished tenth or somat if the games had finished after 90 minutes.