Fifa has been told it would have been "wasting the moment" if it had not extended the World Cup final interval on Sunday to stage a half-time show, according to a top global events boss.
The organisation has confirmed the 11-minute performance, featuring artists such as Madonna, Shakira, and Justin Bieber, will take place at MetLife Stadium.
However, reports suggest this show will cause the gap between the first and second halves to significantly exceed the 15 minutes stipulated by the sport’s laws.
Some observers have criticised the move, but Michael Gietzen, the chief executive officer of Identity, said: “Fifa is right to extend half-time and the people complaining are missing the point.
“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’.
“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.
“A good half-time show isn’t a distraction from the football. It’s part of the reason people remember exactly where they were when they watched it.
“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.
“Purists may call that a dilution. I’d call it Fifa catching up to what a decent proportion of audiences have wanted for years. A final like this comes round once every four years. Play it safe and you waste the moment.”
ITV has said it will broadcast the half-time show in full, while it is understood the BBC will confirm its plans in due course.
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”.
It was also announced that Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, popstar Robbie Williams and US singer Jennifer Hudson will perform during the closing ceremony.
The event will take place 90 minutes before kick-off and will also feature performances from Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini and streamer IShowSpeed – with Hudson set to deliver a rendition of the US national anthem.
