FIFA to assess hydration breaks after World Cup, says Wenge

Arsene Wenger with FIFA President Gianni Infantino

NEW JERSEY, July 19: Arsene Wenger has revealed that FIFA will conduct a review into the impact of the hydration breaks introduced during the World Cup once the tournament concludes.

The decision to add scheduled water breaks during matches has sparked debate among coaches, with Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa among those questioning the move, saying that splitting matches into quarters “adds nothing and takes a lot away.”

Speaking at the final press conference of FIFA’s Technical Study Group, Wenger said FIFA would examine match data to determine whether the breaks had any influence on the competition.

“Some people did not like it at times. We will analyse it after the World Cup, but I did not feel that these breaks changed the results of the tournament,” Wenger said.

“In certain games, they were badly needed. When stadiums had closed roofs, there were complaints, but at the beginning of the tournament we decided to introduce them in every match to ensure there was no difference between games. We have not concluded yet, but I promise there will be one.”

The former Arsenal manager also dismissed concerns that travel demands and the tournament schedule had affected the standard of soccer.

“Logistically, things were obviously very different, and before the tournament, FIFA had some concerns that these factors could impact the matches,” Wenger said.

“But personally, I do not share that opinion. I believe we have witnessed games of a very high level here.”