World Cup cooling breaks should be decided game by game- van Dijk
The Netherlands captain, Virgil Van Dijk, has criticised FIFA’s new mandatory cooling breaks in the 2026 World Cup. Speaking after his team’s 2-2 draw against Japan on Sunday, the defender said that the three-minute breaks implemented into each half of every World Cup game should not be mandatory, but should be considered on a game-by-game … The post World Cup cooling breaks should be decided game by game- van Dijk appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
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The Netherlands captain, Virgil Van Dijk, has criticised FIFA’s new mandatory cooling breaks in the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking after his team’s 2-2 draw against Japan on Sunday, the defender said that the three-minute breaks implemented into each half of every World Cup game should not be mandatory, but should be considered on a game-by-game basis.
“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.”
FIFA has maintained that the hydration break policy is a necessary player safety measure due to extreme temperatures in the USA and Mexico, two of the three host nations, this summer.
But the move has faced criticism from some, who argue that the initiative has commercial motivations as well as ones based on player welfare.
Former Arsenal and England forward Ian Wright said: “I just feel like it’s another way to get adverts into it…they’ve used the fact it’s for the players and for the hydration, not for me.”
Though British broadcasters haven’t been cutting to adverts, American channels like Fox have been using them for full-screen commercial breaks.
The breaks have also been criticised for disrupting game momentum and giving coaches opportunities to make regular tactical changes.
Former Chelsea women’s manager, Emma Hayes, told ITV Sport on Sunday: “One of the beautiful things about football has always been that there is one break.”
“It’s not like the NBA or NFL, it is undeniable, it’s a coach’s game this World Cup, and you’ll have analysts sending down three or four clips with tactical adaptations.”
In Brazil’s game against Morocco, on Saturday, coach Carlo Ancelotti used the water break to his advantage, according to Hayes, allowing the South American side to claw back against their North African opponents.
“You see Carlos Ancelotti make it in the first half by moving Paquetá inside which made a difference because they’d lost a grip of the game in the first 25 minutes,” she said.
“We’ve seen it with every manager so far that coaching comes into play, and it is so advantageous for the team that is losing momentum.
“That’s why I call them momentum breaks. If you’re on top, you don’t want it. If you’re not, you won’t mind it.”
Germany coach, Julian Nagelsmann, also indicated that the three-minute period helped his team sort themselves out tactically after conceding a first-half equaliser in their 7-1 win over Curaçao on Sunday.-ITV
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The post World Cup cooling breaks should be decided game by game- van Dijk appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
