Virgil van Dijk criticized the introduction of water breaks at the World Cup

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has expressed his disappointment with FIFA's new rules on mandatory hydration breaks during World Cup matches. The 34-year-old defender shared his thoughts after Sunday's draw between the Netherlands and Japan. The match was held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Texas), which is equipped with a powerful air conditioning system. That is why the presence of special water breaks in a comfortable climate raised questions for the football player. Answering journalists' questions about the appropriateness of breaks in the absence of intense heat, van Dijk laughed and noted that the dynamics of broadcasts suffer from this. "The hydration breaks are a bit interesting because I've obviously watched almost every game so far today and going to commercials every time is a bit... Not that I like it. I think it's not good for neutral viewers on TV either. If it's going to be really hot, of course it would be good to put them on the field. But I think you have to look at it on a game-by-game basis," van Dijk said. FIFA introduced three-minute breaks in each half of all matches at the tournament after players faced periods of extreme heat at the revamped Club World Cup last summer. However, this initiative quickly faced criticism. The main complaints fall into two categories: In March, FIFA officially gave broadcasters the green light to air commercials during these stoppages. Many believe that this is the main reason for the introduction of the rule. The tempo of the match also goes astray, which causes discontent among the fans and the football players themselves. While players and spectators complain about the loss of game rhythm, coaches find their advantages in the new rules. The impact of the three-minute breaks on the flow of the game was evident during the Sunday evening matches. Head coach of the German national team, Julian Nagelsmann, said that the break helped his team quickly adjust tactically in the match against Curacao (which ended in a crushing 7-1 victory for the Germans).