Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has called on FIFA to reconsider the use of mandatory hydration breaks at the World Cup, following his team's 2-2 draw with Japan. The Dutch skipper opened the scoring with a header but was left frustrated by a late equalizer from Daichi Kamada. However, it was not just the dropped points that irked the Liverpool defender; the new rule that splits matches into four quarters also drew his ire.
Van Dijk's Concerns
Speaking after the match, van Dijk expressed his dissatisfaction with the breaks, which occur midway through each half. He noted that in Houston, where the game was played under a closed roof with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius, the conditions were nearly ideal for football. "Hydration breaks are a bit interesting because I was obviously watching almost all the games, up until today and every time going to a commercial is a bit… not really what I like," he said. "I think also think for the neutral watchers on TV it's also not great. So if it's really hot it would be good to put them in, but you have to look at it in every game separately in my opinion."
Other Voices
Former Manchester United and Chelsea star Juan Mata echoed van Dijk's sentiments, telling ITV: "When you are playing the game you just want to keep playing. If you are losing you want to try to score, if you are winning you want to try to keep the ball. Those breaks I think they break the momentum. As a player I don't think it's fair."
ITV pundit Ian Wright went further, arguing that the breaks are primarily a commercial move. "I just feel like it's another way to get adverts in, there's no way Fox haven't had a say. You know with FIFA and Fox they've got some hand in what they want to do," he said. "They've used the fact that it's for the hydration of the players, not for me."
Tactical Impact
The early evidence suggests the breaks have benefited teams that are on the back foot, allowing coaches to correct tactical issues. USA women's head coach Emma Hayes noted: "One of the beautiful things about football is there's only been one break. It's not like NBA or NFL. It's a coaches game this World Cup, there will be analysts sending down three or four clips with tactical adaptations." She added that the breaks are advantageous for the team that is losing momentum, while the team on top does not want them.
