The captain of the Windmills team is not happy with what is happening in the World Cup matches.
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has urged FIFA to rethink the use of water breaks at the 2026 World Cup, following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Japan.
Van Dijk opened the scoring for the Netherlands, but Japan equalized late on. Both teams came away with one point to start their World Cup campaign.
According to English newspaper Metro, FIFA’s mandatory rest periods effectively turned matches into four quarters – even when the weather was relatively mild.
Houston provided almost perfect conditions for football last night. The match was held under a covered floor, where the temperature reached about 20 degrees.
In response to a question about the water breaks, Van Dijk said: “The water breaks are a bit interesting because I was watching almost all the matches, even today, and every time the players go to drink, an advert comes on, it’s a bit annoying… it’s not really what I like.”
He added, according to what the newspaper quoted him as saying: “I also think that this is not in the interest of neutral viewers on television.” “So, if it’s very hot, it would be good to drink water, but each match has to be looked at individually in my opinion,” he added.
She was followed by a wry smile: “I think I’ve already said enough about that.”
The Netherlands and Japan share the fifth group with Sweden and Tunisia. The last confrontation ended with a 5-1 defeat for the Eagles of Carthage.
