Marcelo Bielsa Also Unhappy with Hydration Breaks

Uruguay's notoriously critical coach, Marcelo Bielsa, has joined the chorus of disapproval regarding FIFA's decision to implement hydration breaks mid-half at the current World Cup. These three-minute stoppages, which even feature commercials, are widely seen as an unnecessary disruption to the flow of matches.

“Playing in four quarters instead of two fundamentally alters the cultural understanding of how football is perceived,” Bielsa commented. “It adds nothing and takes away a great deal. When the game was divided into four parts, there was no consideration for the potential impact on what made football a sport capable of captivating people. Instead, other consequences were prioritized, which I won't discuss or analyze. Before this decision, football had certain characteristics; now it has others. People fall in love with the game precisely because of its characteristics.”

Uruguay is currently preparing for their second World Cup fixture, an encounter against Cape Verde scheduled for 1:00 AM Bulgarian time tomorrow night.