Jurgen Klopp warns football is becoming ‘background music to an advertising show’ as he questions the motivation for hydration breaks at the World Cup.
Players at this summer’s World Cup are having a break 22 minutes into each half to take on fluids.
Some games in the tournament – held in USA, Canada and Mexico – are played in extremely high temperatures, with the drinks breaks brought in to help the players stay as cool as possible.
However, Klopp sees the three-minute interruptions as ‘nothing more than a gilded cage built for sponsors’ while they have been badged up as a ‘noble sword against the heat’.
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The former Liverpool boss was in eloquent mood, saying: ‘Football is being held hostage by executives ensconced in air-conditioned offices.’
Klopp feels the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.
‘When I saw the players just standing there during a heat break while TV timeouts dictated the rhythm of the match, I couldn’t help asking myself: who does the World Cup really serve? The fans? The players? Or the advertisers?’ Klopp questioned on German broadcaster ZDF.
‘A World Cup match should flow like a river. Instead, we build dams right in the middle so commercials can get through.
‘Football used to be the main event, but now it risks becoming the background music to an advertising show.’
When the hydration breaks were confirmed last year, a FIFA statement read: ‘The use of hydration breaks is part of a focused attempt to ensure the best possible conditions for players, drawing upon the experiences of previous tournaments, including the recent FIFA Club World Cup, which took place in the United States last summer.’
American broadcasters have been using them to squeeze in more advertising during the game, with FOX Sports coming in for criticism for cutting to full screen ads during the breaks.
Commentator Ian Darke even stated during the World Cup’s opening match: ‘This hydration break is powered by Powerade.’
USA manager Mauricio Pochettino has also spoken out against the breaks, unless conditions are ‘extreme’ in a stadium.
‘I don’t like it,’ he said. ‘I only like it when the conditions are extreme. But when the conditions are good, it is unnecessary.’
Broadcasters around the world are looking to earn big on the tournament this summer, with Kelly Williams, managing director of commercial at ITV, telling The Guardian: ‘This will be our most commercially successful tournament ever.
‘It is not just one game but six weeks of really big TV audiences. It is effectively our six-week summer Super Bowl moment.’