Jurgen Klopp says football is being controlled unfairly in a passionate rant about the new World Cup rule.
Jurgen Klopp has been helping with the German World Cup coverage this summer and isn’t holding back his thoughts on everything happening both on and off the field. The former Liverpool manager has always spoken his mind when he felt it was needed, and that hasn’t changed since he stepped away from coaching.
Recently, Klopp shared his opinion about one of the new rules introduced at the World Cup, and he doesn’t think it’s a good change for the game. Talking on German TV channel ZDF, he discussed hydration breaks, a new rule that people see in very different ways.
FIFA added these breaks to protect players from the hot North American summer weather. But some fans and experts are more skeptical, feeling the breaks are really there to help advertisers get more airtime. Klopp seems to agree with this view.
As L’Equipe reported, Klopp said: “Football is being controlled by bosses sitting in air-conditioned offices. When I saw players standing around during the heat break while the TV timeouts set the game’s pace, I wondered who the World Cup is really for — the fans, the players, or the advertisers?
“A World Cup game should flow smoothly, like a river. Instead, we’re putting up dams in the middle so ads can get through. It’s bad for the spirit of the game. Football used to be the main event, but now it risks becoming just background noise for advertising.”
Klopp seems to share the hope that football won’t go down a path where the game is split up just to give advertisers more chances to show their messages during hydration breaks.