Of all Fifa’s many World Cup crimes – the high ticket prices, the craven reaction to the banning of fans and referees from certain countries, or the needless expansion to 48 teams – it is hydration breaks which are the most heinous.
At first glance it seems like a reasonable enough rule. Formalising a water break to preserve player welfare? Fair enough, especially with temperatures set to hit 40 degrees Celsius in some places.
But as soon as you see it in practice the scales fall. They’re not about water, they’re about opening the floodgates to rampant capitalism. It’s no longer a game of two halves, it’s four quarters, and watching here in the US they’re not even trying to hide the fact.
Fox finds time to squeeze in an incredible six extra adverts during the water break (good news for Verizon, Modelo, Nerds sweets, Valvoline and jobs site Indeed during Sweden’s win over Tunisia).
It’s all about advertising during the drinks breaks (Photo: Getty)
