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On Saturday, fans across England were unhappy with the decision to stop the game for a water-break. Teams were given a 90-second break after 25-minutes so they could rehydrate themselves.
The idea was first implemented in the Brazil World Cup in 2014, where FIFA mandated the match officials to provide a water-break if the temperature rose above 32 degree Celsius. Although the purpose of the break was to ensure that the players were hydrated, managers were seen issuing instructions to their players during that time period.
When the rule was introduced in the World Cup FIFA’s medical chief Michel D'Hooghe had the following to say: “It was the first time in this tournament that the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature came above 32 degrees namely 34 degrees.
“It’s a mixture of temperature, of humidity, of wind and of solar inclination. The referee was pleased, the players were pleased and so it is certainly an experience that we will continue.”
“Of course it is a matter of common sense,” said the Belgian. “If it is one degree lower and really everyone feels very warm then the referee can also introduce a break in the 30th and 75th minutes.”
When he was asked about the manager’s interference during the break, he said: “It is not our intention to do that. It is purely medical. A cooling and drinking break is just to protect the health of the players.”
Many people didn’t take the new rule happily though, a lot of fans were seen booing the teams while BBC match of the day presenter Gary Lineker who was clearly unhappy with the decision took his displeasure to twitter. In tweet the Englishman said:
Although the break was not implemented in the Manchester United and Sunderland match, most of the teams on Saturday were seen taking the time out. Bournemouth had their first Premier League victory at Upton Park against West Ham took the break even though the temperature was below 32 degrees.
The same thing was seen at White Hart lane and Carrow Road, where the temperatures were 28 degrees.
While most of the fans were displeased with the water-break that interrupted their weekend entertainment, Leicester City fans were seen enjoying themselves making Drinkwater jokes.
