Loud boos reverberated around Dallas Stadium during the first hydration break of England’s World Cup encounter with Croatia on Wednesday, as fans unequivocally expressed their disdain for the controversial new innovation.
Fifa’s mandatory three-minute stoppages, one in each half, have been introduced for the first time at this tournament, ostensibly to help players cope with the intense heat and humidity of the North American summer.
However, the breaks have proved highly contentious. Critics argue they severely disrupt the natural flow of the game, while others perceive their introduction as a cynical manoeuvre to divide matches into four quarters, thereby creating more lucrative advertising opportunities for broadcasters.
England supporters had previously taken to social media to declare their intention to protest, and the anticipated boos erupted from both sets of fans the moment referee Clement Turpin signalled the break in the 22nd minute.
There were similar boos during the second half when the referee called a halt to proceedings for another three-minute hydration break.
It disrupted a thrilling contest, with England taking the lead three times through a Harry Kane brace and Jude Bellingham solo effort.
On the first two occasions, England were pegged back by strikes from Martin Baturina and Petar Susa.
Similar vocal disapproval for the hydration break was heard at Boston Stadium on Tuesday during Norway’s match against Iraq, even though the temperature was a relatively mild 23 degrees Celsius (73.4°F).
In that fixture, Iraq had been holding the Norwegians to a 0-0 draw and performing strongly when the break commenced, only to concede a goal just four minutes after play resumed, before ultimately losing the match 4-1.
A break was also taken shortly after World Cup debutants equalised against Germany on Sunday.
Curacao went on to lose that game 7-1 as Germany rediscovered their rhythm.
