The voltage is at its limit: the sport is at a standstill, waiting for the decisive whistle to sound…

The tension reaches its peak: the sport stands still, waiting for that decisive whistle. A pause in sports isn’t ever just emptiness. It’s a laboratory where tactical plans are drawn up, where agents conduct final negotiations, and where fans double-check their entries again and again. Now we’re at the threshold of that moment when silence will give way to the roar of fans. Time is running out; the draws will soon determine who will get the trophies. Coaches keep their starting line-ups ready until the last minute. Waiting is an integral part of the game. And the longer we wait, the louder the echo of the first contact will be. Take a deep breath. The whistle is already on the arbitrator’s lips.