When the United States takes the pitch against Australia this afternoon, millions of soccer fans will tune in. Anyone who hasn’t watched a match since the last World Cup will notice something new: players stopping midway through each half to drink some water.
Introduced in the name of player safety, these mandatory three-minute breaks are a surprise controversy that has shoved climate change into the spotlight. “Water-gate,” blared a headline in The Independent, a U.K. newspaper. The chief sportswriter at the Daily Mail called the breaks a “momentum killer” and a “money-grabbing disgrace.”
Fans were equally outraged. Spectators at the match between England and Croatia booed when the referee blew the whistle, and comments poured in on Reddit. “I’m booing from home,” read one. Another said, “FIFA ruined the beautiful game.”
FIFA, the sport’s governing body and organizer of the tournament, declined to comment and referred Grist to its announce... Read more
