Hydration breaks

[AdelaideGreen]

Here is a view from Australia

"Their real purpose, as almost everyone has long-since deduced, is to effectively break the game up into quarters, providing broadcasters the chance to beam an extra batch of commercials to the billions watching around the world."

FIFA's hydration break farce the ultimate insult for weary World Cup fans

Football fans are forced to endure much to keep their love of the beautiful game alive, but FIFA's cynical new "hydration breaks" are stretching the friendship like never before.

www.abc.net.au

The consequences are loss of momentum in games as well as more blessed advertising - whatever the weather (even in indoor air-con stadiums)

Your views?

 

[PL2 3DQ]

It's exactly that. In the UK we don't see the extra adverts that broadcasters in other countries will show although ITV might cotton on to that idea.

The drink breaks change the momentum of games, for instance Curacao had just scored against Germany and had another chance soon after but then there was a drink break which allowed Germany to regroup.
Germany were never going to lose but if it wasn't for the drink break Caracao might have scored a second goal.

And having a drink break in a stadium with air conditioning is ridiculous.

It also looks like actual injury time is reduced, we have to have 3 minutes each half because of the drink breaks but some refs have signalled just 4 or 5 minutes in total which doesn't seem correct, in affect just 1 or 2 minutes.

With late kick-offs of a few minutes past the scheduled time, two drink breaks and a long half time of 18 to 20 minutes the games so far have lasted around two hours.

 

[Balham Green]

Perhaps anyone who had to run around in 35c might be more sympathetic. I think should be in the middle of the pitch though to prevent a tactical team talk.

 

[Argyleloyal]

It's exactly that. In the UK we don't see the extra adverts that broadcasters in other countries will show although ITV might cotton on to that idea.

The drink breaks change the momentum of games, for instance Curacao had just scored against Germany and had another chance soon after but then there was a drink break which allowed Germany to regroup.
Germany were never going to lose but if it wasn't for the drink break Caracao might have scored a second goal.

And having a drink break in a stadium with air conditioning is ridiculous.

It also looks like actual injury time is reduced, we have to have 3 minutes each half because of the drink breaks but some refs have signalled just 4 or 5 minutes in total which doesn't seem correct, in affect just 1 or 2 minutes.

With late kick-offs of a few minutes past the scheduled time, two drink breaks and a long half time of 18 to 20 minutes the games so far have lasted around two hours.

Is that how long the half times have been? Sorry haven’t been watching any of it

 

[Joe Totale]

Perhaps anyone who had to run around in 35c might be more sympathetic. I think should be in the middle of the pitch though to prevent a tactical team talk.

Agreed but they're happening in all games, some of which are in much lower temperatures or air conditioned stadiums.

 

[Les Ritson]

It is obvious the financial implications of the hydration breaks for advertisers and hence FIFA who will take any opportunity to increase their profits like the pricing of tickets at this World Cup , even at the expense of football itself , it will probably now be a fixture in all FIFA tournaments in the future. Our game is slowly being taken away from the fans and becoming or has already become a corporate bun fight.

 

[MickyD]

This has already been discussed elsewhere, by myself and others, but Posty also rightly brings up total game time. These days we're used to seeing 8, 10 minutes of stoppage time (thanks to FIFA tweaking the rules, let's not forget) but here we're seeing four or five, meaning no more than a couple added. They should go full-on Murcan and just stop the clock during 'hydration' breaks: that would actually make more sense. Say, exactly six ads - I mean exactly three minutes.

And yes - absolutely, keep all players a mile away from coaching staff. Next they'll be shouting out numbers for 'plays'.

And, of course, if this really was about protecting the players, there could easily be some meteorological heat and humidity combination that kicks in and triggers a genuinely needed break. Max five minutes, say, then hard luck, get on with it or take all the players off. Best Chandler Bing sarcastic voice: "Huhh, like that's ever gonna happinn!"

 

[daront]

I 100% get the drinks break. Personally i think it should be in the centre circle with drinks taken out to the players by fifa and not the teams to prevent coaching.
As for adverts, its america. Everything they do is about making as much money as possible. So its no wonder there are adverts. I watched the germany game i think they had to wait for a song to finish before statrting the game after a drinks break.

 

[MickyD]

Irritating though all this is, if I believed we could just forget about it after the tournament as we did vuvuzelas I'd chalk it down to experience and move on.

But no, I sense the dead hand of precedent. You can just see Sky lobbying the Premier League for quarters now - not because they give a damn about player welfare but because of all that luvverly luvverly extra advertising moolah. Same around Europe and the world.

Middle of winter? No probs. A 'reheating' break, with lots of tasty warm (sponsored) glucose and protein gels and whatnot. Lower league teams who occasionally make it onto national telly? Two long extension cords and a one-bar electric heater per team.

Then after a couple of years or so of softening up they'd drop the pretense (deliberate American spelling) and just call it quarters, by which time half-time will also have crept to 30 minutes.

 

[Ross B]

Anyone I watch the games with is absolutely hating them.

As NFL is my first sport, I quite like the fact there are less adverts than what I am normally used too

 

[Les Ritson]

Irritating though all this is, if I believed we could just forget about it after the tournament as we did vuvuzelas I'd chalk it down to experience and move on.

But no, I sense the dead hand of precedent. You can just see Sky lobbying the Premier League for quarters now - not because they give a damn about player welfare but because of all that luvverly luvverly extra advertising moolah. Same around Europe and the world.

Middle of winter? No probs. A 'reheating' break, with lots of tasty warm (sponsored) glucose and protein gels and whatnot. Lower league teams who occasionally make it onto national telly? Two long extension cords and a one-bar electric heater per team.

Then after a couple of years or so of softening up they'd drop the pretense (deliberate American spelling) and just call it quarters, by which time half-time will also have crept to 30 minutes.

It’s going to happen….we all know FIFA and their lust for the moola. !

 

[X Isle]

...It also looks like actual injury time is reduced, we have to have 3 minutes each half because of the drink breaks but some refs have signalled just 4 or 5 minutes in total which doesn't seem correct, in affect just 1 or 2 minutes.

With late kick-offs of a few minutes past the scheduled time, two drink breaks and a long half time of 18 to 20 minutes the games so far have lasted around two hours.

You're right, lose the allocated 2 mins for the advert hydration break and we're talking minimal added time being counted in this tournament.

Coincidence or significance?

The answer I suspect has the self same genesis as the advert hydration break. Add too much time on and the schedulers have less time to play adverts on the final whistle.

Why apply the appropriate time for all the breaks, injuries and goals... when it might just delay an advert break

 

[Tynans Dad]

I’ve no issue with a hydration break - 1 min would be plenty. I run in a lot of different running events. I’ve run marathons and ultra marathons in hot August weather. A small cup of water every half an hour or so is plenty. I can run past a table, pick up a cup of water and drink down enough for what I need within about 3-4 seconds.

For a footballer who enters the pitch well hydrated and has a 15 minute break in the middle, having 60 seconds mid match to wander over, casually slurp down half a bottle of water and pour a bit on your head is plenty.

Three minutes is unwarranted.

 

[Cobi Budge]

Personally think that the players should congregate in the centre circle for the hydration breaks with a member of stadium staff bringing drinks to the centre circle, no coaching staff allowed to step onto the field.

 

[Argyleloyal]

Virgil van Dijk has criticised the hydration breaks at the World Cup, with him suggesting it has been used as a advertising opportunity