Virgil van Dijk has called on FIFA to reassess the use of hydration breaks on a case by case basis after they were implemented inside Dallas’ temperature-controlled AT&T Stadium for the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan.
FIFA confirmed last year that hydration breaks would be part of the furniture at the tournament as they look to ensure ‘the best possible conditions for players’.
But Van Dijk, ticked off after the Netherlands twice gave up the lead to draw with Japan in Dallas, believes the breaks must not become a one-shoe-fits-all scenario.
‘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,’ Liverpool defender Van Dijk said after the game.
‘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. I think I’ve said enough already on that!’
Virgil van Dijk is unconvinced that hydration breaks make a lot of sense at the World Cup
The use of three-minute hydration breaks, which occur 22 minutes into each half, have become a particularly divisive issue in the opening days of the World Cup.
Van Dijk’s former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, out at the World Cup as a pundit for German television, has been one of the most critical voices to date.
‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices,’ Klopp said over the weekend.
‘When I saw the players just standing there during a heat break while TV timeouts dictated the rhythm of the match, I couldn’t help asking myself: “who does the World Cup really serve? The fans? The players? Or the advertisers?”‘
‘A World Cup match should flow like a river,’ Klopp continued, speaking on German broadcaster ZDF.
‘Instead, we build dams right in the middle so commercials can get through.
‘Football used to be the main event, but now it risks becoming the background music to an advertising show.’
Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata, as well as current United States boss Mauricio Pochettino, are others to publicly condemn the breaks.
‘I don’t like it,’ Pochettino said following USMNT’s opening group win over Paraguay.
‘I only like it when the conditions are extreme. But when the conditions are good, it is unnecessary.’
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The Netherlands had two hydration breaks against Japan in a temperature-controlled stadium
Mata, working in the United States as a pundit for ITV, added that he is adamant the breaks are unfair on players.
‘When you are playing the game you just want to keep playing,’ Mata said.
‘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.’
In a statement defending the hydration breaks, FIFA said last summer: ‘The use of hydration breaks is part of a focused attempt to ensure the best possible conditions for players, drawing upon the experiences of previous tournaments, including the recent FIFA Club World Cup, which took place in the United States last summer.’
