Why the FA Cup is not played on the dot

It is a weekend of FA Cup football in England. Newcastle, Burnley, Hull City, Birmingham... Games that should start at 13:30 this Saturday, but are actually starting at 13:31. The same for those that are played at 16:30 and 18:30, which will be played at 16:31 and 18:31 respectively. But, why this sudden change of time?

There is a good reason behind this modification, as usually happens in these cases. It is that the Football Association (FA), have started a campaign to raise awareness about mental health, a problem that is affecting more and more people all the time.

The charity 'Heads Together' warns of the problems that can lead to different disorders under the hashtag #TakeAMinute. "In life, as in football, we all go through highs and lows and we can all take simple steps to look after our mental health," they put on social media, along with some videos, in which footballers and coaches such as Lampard appear.

The games, as the slogan of this campaign states, will be played a minute later. It is all for a very noble cause.

January 3, 2020