Infantino insists hydration breaks not about money
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has claimed that the governing body makes 'no additional revenue' from the increasingly unpopular hydration breaks at the World Cup. The three-minute pauses, introduced midway through both halves of every match to help players cope with extreme heat in North America, have drawn boos from fans and criticism from coaches.
England supporters loudly jeered when a hydration break was called during their 0-0 draw with Ghana in Boston, where rain fell for periods. The break came just six minutes after a lengthy stoppage for a clash of heads between Reece James and Jordan Ayew.
Broadcasters cash in on ad breaks
While British broadcasters ITV and BBC cut to punditry during the pauses, television networks in other countries show adverts throughout the entire break. According to the BBC, an average 30-second World Cup advertising slot on American broadcaster Fox Sports costs between $200,000 (£152,000) and $300,000 (£227,000). That figure rises to $750,000 (£567,000) during USA matches and the final stages, meaning hydration breaks are likely to generate more than $250m (£189m) for American broadcasters alone.
Despite this, Infantino stated: 'There is no additional revenue for Fifa, as all commercial agreements were signed well in advance. This is not a financial issue for us. For us, it is purely a sporting matter.'
Tuchel criticises impact on game
England boss Thomas Tuchel criticised the breaks before the Ghana match, saying they 'interrupt and change the identity of a football match'. He explained: 'I had hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed but they were shorter. They were just in a few matches. Now it is a point of fairness to every team. Now it breaks the match almost in four quarters and it changes the characteristic of the match more than I thought.'
Tuchel added: 'I like it as a coach to have influence and have my team together but overall, I think I like football when it is played in one go, in one half. It builds a momentum, it is part of the game. It is hard to build momentum and hard to keep the momentum. This is the battle on the field between the players on the field, it plays out in a longer period of time. It just adds to the characteristic of the beautiful game. It takes away from it.'
Fifa defends equal conditions
Infantino defended the mandatory breaks, saying: 'What matters even more to us is ensuring that all teams, in every match, are playing under the same conditions. And it's very difficult to accept that a coach might have the opportunity to influence a match by making adjustments simply because it is hotter, while in another match, where the temperature is slightly lower, the same coach does not have the same opportunity.'
The Fifa president refused to rule out hydration breaks at future World Cups, stating a decision would be made 'based on this experience'. The breaks have been mandatory despite several games taking place in air-conditioned stadiums or in manageable conditions.
