FIFA defends hydration break minutes after injury stoppage in England-Ghana game
In the 26th minute referee Said Martinez called a hydration break - in every break at the tournament so far American broadcaster Fox has gone to an advert break
FIFA says a hydration break was called in the England v Ghana game to ensure “equal conditions” for all teams – even though play had been halted for head injuries minutes earlier.
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The breaks, which have been criticised by England head coach Thomas Tuchel and consistently booed by England fans, have been introduced for all World Cup matches by FIFA for these finals in North America for player welfare reasons.
Their necessity in all games – such as those played in air-conditioned venues like Dallas – has been questioned and there appeared to be no need for one in Tuesday night’s England game, with play having been halted around the 20-minute mark because of a clash of heads between Reece James and Jordan Ayew.
In the 26th minute referee Said Martinez called a hydration break. In every break at the tournament so far American broadcaster Fox has gone to an advert break.
FIFA said hydration breaks are implemented “involving all teams in every match, so matches are played under the same conditions”.
Read More: England held to 0-0 by Ghana as Harry Kane misses late chance
A spokesperson added: “We want to ensure equal conditions for everyone and that’s why these breaks are implemented in every match.”
Tuchel has been critical of the breaks and said prior to the Ghana game: “I think that it interrupts and changes the identity of a football match much more than I thought. I had hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed, but they were shorter. It breaks the match almost in four quarters.
The breaks have had their supporters too, with France and Brazil coaches Didier Deschamps and Carlo Ancelotti both in favour.
Deschamps said: “You can get the players close to you and this gives you an opportunity to adjust a couple of things as regards the 22-23 minutes of game that just took place.
“With the high temperatures, it’s important to be able to give this extra opportunity, two opportunities to the head coach. It’s a good thing – this is a fact, but it leads us to split the game and if you’re in a strong position, after this break, you must start playing again. But we adapt to it, even in our prep work we’ve anticipated.”
Ancelotti said: “You can explain a problem to the players and make a tactical adjustment that can be very good.”
Some medical experts even believe the breaks are too short, with Douglas Casa, the chief executive of the Korey Stringer Institute that develops practical strategies to prevent sudden death in sport, recommending up to a six-minute break per half.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also said the breaks were about consistency, adding: “It’s very difficult to accept that a coach might have the opportunity to influence a match by making adjustments simply because it’s hotter, while in another match, where the temperature is slightly lower, the same coach doesn’t have the same opportunity.”
He rejected the suggestion money had anything to do with it.
He said: “There is no additional revenue for FIFA, as all commercial agreements were signed well in advance. So this is not a financial issue for us. For us, it is purely a sporting matter.”