Football Body Reschedules Pre-Match Briefing To Occur After Final Whistle
Officials say holding the conference once the result is known avoids any awkward speculation about a game that hasn't happened yet.
Football officials confirmed Saturday that the delayed news conference ahead of the team's Nations League clash with Israel will now take place immediately after the final whistle, rather than before kick-off as originally scheduled.
An unnamed official explained the change, saying, "This way nobody has to guess how the match will go — by the time we sit down, everyone already knows." Reporters were told the same set of prepared answers would apply regardless of the scoreline.
Moving the briefing to the post-match slot also frees up the pre-match window, officials said, for a warm-up highlight reel and, time permitting, a brief acknowledgment that the fixture is taking place at all.
Campaigners who had called for a boycott of the game said they were unsure whether to treat the delay as a partial victory or simply file it under the growing category of things postponed until they no longer matter.
Officials maintained that the rescheduled conference remains, by name if nothing else, a pre-match briefing, noting that the phrase does not appear anywhere in football's rulebook as requiring actual timing.