Fifa unites the world – in anger at hydration breaks (AKA ad breaks) | Barney Ronay

W ith 22 minutes gone on Tuesday night at Boston Stadium, and an injury delay in train, a clutch of England and Ghana players wandered to the side of the pitch and began taking drinks. This was the signal for a sudden spurt of refereeing indignation, the officials sprinting across in a state of apparently genuine outrage, appalled by the spectacle of unofficial hydration. The first drinks break, Hydro-Quart-One, was only a minute away. Here we had players basically stealing hydration. Not to mention messing with the most vital part of the show – the advert timings. Guys, the director has not cued the break. David Beckham has the ice-cold faux beer halfway to his lips. Will Ferrell is making hyena-like vocal warm-up noises at the wheel of his crisp delivery lorry. We’re professionals. Hit your marks people. When it finally came, the approved hydration break was massively, righteously booed by the fans in the stadium, despite the fact it did at least offer some respite from the stroke-inducing tedium of the actual game . And this has been the trend, begun with some mild booing by the Dutch in Dallas, and taken on by Spanish, Czechs, Mexicans, Japanese, Colombians, Saudis. There have been exceptions, namely the Brazilians and Haitians in Philadelphia, who seemed too busy dancing to Don’t Stop Believing, or enjoying the spectate of their nation on the world stage to really notice. USA fans have also seemed fine with it, but then US sport has interludes. …