World Cup games have lost their flow with hydration breaks after FIFA’s brazen call

Call hydration breaks what they are (Picture: Visionhaus/Getty Images)

This week, a fortnight into the World Cup, after booing ‘hydration breaks’ has become commonplace, Fifa put out a statement to tell us what a good and universally well-received innovation they are.

‘The breaks may have contributed to the unprecedented levels of intensity the matches have been played in,’ the statement read, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino elaborating: ‘Until the last seconds of the match, players attack… maybe it’s also thanks to this little break that the players have.’

He opined: ‘Having a moment to rest is extremely important.’ In case you’ve missed the controversy: this World Cup, football matches have been subdivided into quarters by the introduction of two mandatory three...