The coach of Uruguay, Marcelo Bielsa, has said that the cooling offs do not give anything to football, while they are destroying the “cultural essence of the sport”.
FIFA has decided that in the middle of each part there will be a three-minute break for refreshment, i.e. hydration of the players, due to the high temperatures. But the breaks introduced for the players to drink water have divided football opinion.
Critics say the break divides the match into four parts and is included so broadcasters can get commercial minutes during the match.
“Playing four times instead of playing twice changes the concept of what was culturally constructed to interpret football,” said Bielsa.
“This culture change adds nothing and takes away a lot. I will only say that before this change football had one characteristic, now it has another. People fall in love with the game because of its characteristics”, added Bielsa, considered one of the most influential coaches in the world of football.
He appreciates VAR and other technological innovations. Says technology offers more opportunities.
“There is another purpose for the holidays and the conclusions I am drawing here are not really mine. Also, I say what I hear,” Bielsa emphasized.
