FIFA's mandatory hydration breaks at the World Cup have been branded "ridiculous" and handed a new nickname, as coaches look to exploit the scheduled stoppages to deliver tactical instructions.
In a first for World Cup history, FIFA introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks across all 104 matches. Referees halt play around the 22nd and 67th minutes, allowing players to rehydrate and cool down.
The measure was implemented to shield players from the intense heat conditions at venues across North America, as per The Mirror US .
Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given believes the hydration breaks are really just 'tactics breaks' -Credit:Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Yet while players reach for their water bottles, coaches are seizing the opportunity to deliver tactical addresses - with Japan 's manager Hajime Moriyasu keeping his whiteboard close at hand. The mandatory hydration breaks have since been branded "ridiculous" and handed a new moniker by former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given .
This follows FOX Sports drawing heavy criticism after commercials overran during a hydration break, causing fans to miss gametime.
"I think it's really frustrating, probably for people at home as well. It's an air-conditioned stadium, do they need a hydration break?" Given vented to RTE. "You see the Japanese manager, he's got a tactical board out, where they're just supposed to be having a quick drink.
"It's a tactics break... It doesn't take three minutes to take a drink of water," Given added, effectively coining a new nickname for the World Cup's hydration regulations.
James McClean , another former Republic of Ireland international, added: "It's ridiculous because the game is just stop-start, and you have all the rules with VAR. You have all these people who've never played the game just constantly adding rules, and it's not a great watch. Watching the game here, there's no way there's a drinks break needed for the temperatures of where we're at."
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World Cup players have also raised doubts about the necessity of hydration breaks - especially in covered stadiums equipped with climate control. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, along with the two Texas facilities, NRG and AT&T, are the only fully air-conditioned venues.
MetLife Stadium, SoFi Stadium, and BC Place also provide shelter from weather conditions in various forms. Liverpool and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk suggested hydration breaks should be assessed individually , with FIFA carrying out evaluations to decide whether circumstances justify pausing the action.
"Hydration breaks are a bit interesting, because I was obviously watching almost all the games up until today, and every time going to commercial is a bit ... Not really that I like it," he said.
"I think for the neutral watchers on TV it's also not great. If it's really hot, obviously it would be good to put them in. But I think you have to look at it in every game, separately, in my opinion. But I think I've said enough already for that."
Germany openly benefited from a stoppage in action during their 7-1 victory over Curacao . A hydration timeout came right after Curacao's surprising early on, with the debutants presenting a genuine test for the European powerhouses.
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk is far from a fan of the new mandatory World Cup hydration breaks -Credit:Maja Hitij - FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images
German head coach Julian Nagelsmann acknowledged that the intermission enabled his squad to regroup, stopping any positive momentum Curacao had built. "Curacao played with a diamond today, and we adjusted how we attacked before the hydration break," Nagelsmann said.
"But even so, there were still two or three moments where it took a little while because, at the end of the day, you actually very rarely play against a diamond-shaped team these days. It's practically unheard of.
"Very few teams do that anymore, and we needed a bit of time. The water break was actually good to simply reiterate what we had already adjusted on the board."
