Fergie time

This has now become a popular British expression for so-called injury or stoppage time that football (soccer) referees add on at the end of a match. The expression is derived from surname of Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager who managed the club from 1986 to 2013. It is not known who coined the expression, but it came into being soon after the 1999 European Cup/ Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. After 90 minutes, Bayern Munich were leading 1-0 when Manchester United scored two goals in three minutes of stoppage time to win the game and the European title. Thereafter, Manchester United gained a reputation for scoring late goals in closely fought matches. In more recent times, ‘Fergie time’ has also come to mean the extra time, over and above stoppage time, that referees allegedly award to Manchester United because of the club’s aura and reputation, but this has not been substantiated. See also Squeaky bum time.