The friendly match between the French team and Brazil (2-1) on Thursday in Foxborough was marked by two “cooling breaks” in the middle of each period. These cooling breaks will be mandatory by FIFA in every match of the 2026 World Cup, a decision that doesn’t sit well with Eric Di Meco.
It will have to be gotten used to. Just like the friendly match France-Brazil (2-1) on Thursday evening in Foxborough, all the matches of the 2026 World Cup will be interrupted by two “cooling breaks” at the 22nd minute of each period. A rule imposed by FIFA that will not consider weather conditions (it was only 13 degrees at the Gillette Stadium) and will allow broadcasters to show advertisements during these three-minute breaks.
But this mandated break by FIFA is far from unanimous. Eric Di Meco is clearly not convinced by these cooling breaks: “Already the VAR has caused problems because it causes interruptions,” said the former player of OM and the French national team on the Super Moscato Show on Friday on RMC. “We have a sport of two halves of 45 minutes where the physical aspect that you can impose can influence a match as there are not 50,000 points like in basketball or rugby. And then there is the cultural aspect. We are not used to having four quarters like in basketball.”
And Eric Di Meco continues: “Now they are going to give us halftime within halftime but no! For me, it doesn’t work! I don’t want my sport to lean towards that! If we end up there because of money, what does it mean? Why not have eight halves? Where is the limit?”
As for the argument that the cooling break could at least allow the coach to give new instructions to the players, it doesn’t hold for the left-back, more adamant than ever: “Then let’s use earpieces like in cycling! We, the players, are capable of adapting to the opponent,” Eric Di Meco points out.
Source: ABr with the Super Moscato Show
