World Cup sees first cooling break

The World Cup saw its first three minute cooling break on Sunday after 30 minutes of the last 16 clash between Mexico and Netherlands in sweltering Fortaleza.

Breaks can be ordered by the referee when the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, which takes into account air temperature, humidity, sunlight and wind speed, exceeds 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit).

Dutch boss Louis van Gaal had pleaded before the game for Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca to allow breaks, claiming that some of his players could lose up to four kilogrammes (10 pounds) during the match.

Supporters at the Estadio Castelao also took shelter from the heat with many preferring to stand at the back on the stand in the shade than take their seats under the baking sun.

The score was tied at 0-0 when the sides stopped in the first-half.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-06-30

Huh? Didn't they have one in a group game?

Sent from my SM-N900T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

yeah in the USA v Portugal game I think

All the press say this was the first "official" cooling break???

I agree that a cooling break may be necessary for health reasons...but.....in this case... only was beneficial to the European team. Mexicans use to play under high temperatures without problems. A cooling break, plus an European referee, and a wrong penalty....won the game.

If you want to look at those things you have to look at the whole game. And then the Dutch were the deserved winners, and referee decisions went both ways.

But the Mexicans did miss their chance to professionaly play out the game and were themselves to blame in the end. Why always pointing at other things.

Ireland and Mexico met in Orlando in the 1994 World Cup. The temperature peaked at 110 degrees. The game was played at lunchtime because of the frequency of late evening thunderstorms in Florida as in the last English friendly before the World Cup. It was disgraceful expecting teams to play in that heat but FIFA went ahead anyway. Same mindset "awarding" the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

Giving the games to Qatar is a joke but so is introducing cooling breaks when temperatures above 32 Celsius. Then there should also be warming breaks when temperatures fall below say 16 degrees.

The one reason I like Rugby: no theatrics, no falls a la Robin and no one ever talked about cooling breaks and many Rugger matches are in damn hot weather.