OVERLONG hydration breaks during the World Cup are ruining the spontaneous flow and raw emotion of VAR.
Pausing matches for three minutes midway through each half for hydration is destroying the magic of watching Video Assisted Referees stop matches after every goal to review footage and make the wrong decision.
Football fan Wayne Hayes said: “It’s such bullshit. Doesn’t FIFA know we love football because of the unbridled thrill of a game being abruptly stopped during the most exciting moment?
“Hydration breaks are no lame substitute. Sure, they stop the action. But where’s the controversy, the rage? Half the time there’s not even a goal imminent. And do these footballers really need water when they’re millionaires?”
Fellow supporter Nikki Hollis said: “Hydrated players make fewer mistakes, which means fewer instances of VAR interrupting because the elbow of an uninvolved player is a nanometer offside. It’s lose-lose.
“Instead we’re watching healthy teams playing games competently and winning fairly. I’m starting to see why Americans aren’t into football. It’s dull.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “If you’ve got a better way to squeeze in commercial breaks under the pretence of caring about players, we’d love to hear it.”
