Is there medical research to back FIFA's hydration breaks?

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By Daniel Pye

Fixed three-minute breaks every half during World Cup matches have irked fans in the name of protecting players' health.

In both England games so far in this World Cup, boos have rung out around the stadiums.

Not because of a foul or a poor refereeing decision, but because the players were going for their enforced hydration break – a controversial new feature of the current World Cup.

No matter if the game is in Dallas Stadium, which was air conditioned to 23 degrees Celsius, or on a damp day in Boston, play is stopped for three minutes for the break.

Among football fans there is growing frustration about the way the interruption can shift the momentum of games. But even if the fans don’t like them, do they have any medical merit?

In principle Dr Tom Jenkins, a sports doctor and specialist musculoskeletal GP, thinks so – but he disagrees with the way they have been rolled out by FIFA.