FIFA defends extended World Cup final half-time show featuring Madonna, Shakira and Bieber

FIFA has confirmed an 11-minute half-time show at the World Cup final on Sunday, featuring Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber at MetLife Stadium — a decision that will push the interval significantly beyond the 15 minutes required under football’s laws of the game.

The move has drawn criticism from some observers, but Michael Gietzen, chief executive of global events company Identity, has come out firmly in support. “FIFA is right to extend half-time and the people complaining are missing the point,” he said. “Football has its own rhythm and its own rules and of course that matters. But a World Cup final isn’t ‘most of the time’.”

Gietzen argued that the scale of the occasion demands something beyond a standard interval. “It happens once every four years, in front of the biggest audience any single sporting event can pull. Treating it like a normal weekend fixture is the mistake, not the half-time show,” he said. “A few extra minutes to get that right isn’t a compromise — it’s FIFA recognising that the final is a cultural event as much as a sporting one.”

He added: “Purists may call that a dilution. I’d call it FIFA catching up to what a decent proportion of audiences have wanted for years. Play it safe and you waste the moment.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has described the performance as a “groundbreaking spectacle” that will “celebrate football, music and our shared values, ensuring a legacy that transcends the final whistle”.

The entertainment does not stop at half-time. A closing ceremony is scheduled 90 minutes before kick-off and will feature Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, Robbie Williams and Jennifer Hudson — who is also set to perform the US national anthem. Nicole Scherzinger, Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini and streamer IShowSpeed are also confirmed for the pre-match ceremony.