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Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
‘Extremely high risk' – World Cup faces major schedule revamp amid growing concern for player safety
One expert outlined the health risks of playing in extreme heat Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FIFA have been urged to scrap "high risk" kick-off times at the World Cup next year. Soaring temperatures in several North American cities have led to adverse weather conditions and delays at the Club World Cup. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Fifa have been urged to make a change to World Cup scheduling Credit: Reuters There is now growing concern for player safety with water breaks deemed insufficient by some experts. FifPro, a global players union that represents more than 70,000 pros, has called for changes to be made at the World Cup. They want midday and afternoon matches scrapped in 'extremely high risk' cities such as Miami, Monterrey and Kansas City. Boston, Philadelphia and Guadalajara have been deemed "very high risk" while Los Angeles and New York/New Jersey are "high risk". READ MORE IN FOOTBALL SUP TO SOMETHING Sky Sports 'bring back iconic football show' five years after it was axed FifPro director of policy Alexander Bielefeld said the issues at the Club World Cup has to be a "wake up call" for Fifa, and calls have been made to move matches to a later kick-off time. FifPro's medical director Dr Vincent Gouttebarge outlined the potential health risks involved in playing in extreme heat. He said: 'From our research, a couple of cities and some matches on the ongoing Club World Cup can be labelled as having a higher risk for heat-related illness, or, in the worst case, extreme high risk for heat-related illness. 'There are certain areas in a country that will be more at risk. So think about match destinations such as Orlando or Miami, for example, where you can see over a period of years that there's a higher risk attached to these venues and destinations. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 'The question is, if we look at match scheduling and match planning ahead of the tournament, if we actually need midday kick-off times in these locations or in these high-risk areas — if we should probably move towards late kick-off times as a preferences for these venues.' One expert, Professor Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University, a leading specialist on the effect of extreme temperature on the human body, has called for next year's World Cup final to be played at 9am.
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
‘Extremely high risk' – World Cup faces major schedule revamp amid growing concern for player safety
FIFA have been urged to scrap "high risk" kick-off times at the World Cup next year. Soaring temperatures in several North American cities have led to adverse weather conditions and delays at the Club World Cup. 1 There is now growing concern for player safety with water breaks deemed insufficient by some experts. FifPro, a global players union that represents more than 70,000 pros, has called for changes to be made at the World Cup. They want midday and afternoon matches scrapped in 'extremely high risk' cities such as Miami, Monterrey and Kansas City. Boston, Philadelphia and Guadalajara have been deemed "very high risk" while Los Angeles and New York/New Jersey are "high risk". FifPro director of policy Alexander Bielefeld said the issues at the Club World Cup has to be a "wake up call" for Fifa, and calls have been made to move matches to a later kick-off time. FifPro's medical director Dr Vincent Gouttebarge outlined the potential health risks involved in playing in extreme heat. He said: 'From our research, a couple of cities and some matches on the ongoing Club World Cup can be labelled as having a higher risk for heat-related illness, or, in the worst case, extreme high risk for heat-related illness. 'There are certain areas in a country that will be more at risk. So think about match destinations such as Orlando or Miami, for example, where you can see over a period of years that there's a higher risk attached to these venues and destinations. 'The question is, if we look at match scheduling and match planning ahead of the tournament, if we actually need midday kick-off times in these locations or in these high-risk areas — if we should probably move towards late kick-off times as a preferences for these venues.' One expert, Professor Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University, a leading specialist on the effect of extreme temperature on the human body, has called for next year's World Cup final to be played at 9am.
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
‘Extremely high risk' – World Cup faces major schedule revamp amid growing concern for player safety
FIFA have been urged to scrap "high risk" kick-off times at the World Cup next year. Soaring temperatures in several North American cities have led to adverse weather conditions and Advertisement 1 Fifa have been urged to make a change to World Cup scheduling Credit: Reuters There is now growing concern for player safety with water breaks deemed insufficient by some experts. FifPro, a global players union that represents more than 70,000 pros, has called for changes to be made at the World Cup. They want midday and afternoon matches scrapped in 'extremely high risk' cities such as Miami, Monterrey and Kansas City. Boston, Philadelphia and Guadalajara have been deemed "very high risk" while Los Angeles and New York/New Jersey are "high risk". Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL FifPro director of policy Alexander Bielefeld said the issues at the Club World Cup has to be a FifPro's medical director Dr Vincent Gouttebarge outlined the potential health risks involved in playing in extreme heat. He said: 'From our research, a couple of cities and some matches on the ongoing Club World Cup can be labelled as having a higher risk for heat-related illness, or, in the worst case, extreme high risk for heat-related illness. 'There are certain areas in a country that will be more at risk. So think about match destinations such as Orlando or Miami, for example, where you can see over a period of years that there's a higher risk attached to these venues and destinations. Advertisement Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 'The question is, if we look at match scheduling and match planning ahead of the tournament, if we actually need midday kick-off times in these locations or in these high-risk areas — if we should probably move towards late kick-off times as a preferences for these venues.' One expert, Professor Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University, a leading specialist on the effect of extreme temperature on the human body, has called for next year's World Cup final to be played at 9am. Chelsea vs Benfica SUSPENDED with just five minutes left as referee takes players off due to severe lightning storm
The Irish Sun
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
England stars could face 20-minute half-times and more match stoppages at 2026 World Cup after Club World Cup chaos
ENGLAND stars could face longer half-times and more hydration breaks at next year's World Cup. And Three Lions fans at home may be forced to stay up into the early hours because daytime kick-offs on the US East Coast are a health risk. 2 England stars could face longer half-times and more hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup 2 Temperatures will be high in the US and Mexico next summer International players' union FifPro issued the stark warning after heatwave chaos at the Club World Cup. FifPro director of policy Alexander Bielefeld said: 'This has to be a wake-up call for Fifa. 'It's clear that in certain areas, especially Florida, there is a higher risk and a need to avoid midday kick-offs. "So games in these cities should be moved to a later time. Read More on Football 'Health and safety of players must take priority over commercial interests, including broadcasters.' Fifpro want Fifa to double the number of drinks breaks - to two per half - at the next World Cup. The union also require half-time breaks to be extended to 20 minutes, instead of the maximum 15. Most read in Football But the latter would need the agreement of the International FA Board. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Fifpro also want Fifa to postpone afternoon kick-offs to the evenings if temperatures are too high. They said such a measure should have been taken in the Club World Cup when England manager Thomas Tuchel reacts to Three Lions' World Cup 2026 qualifying draw FifPro's chief medical officer Professor Vincent Gouttebarge said: 'Only giving players 15 minutes is not enough at these temperatures — you cannot ingest enough in such a short time. 'If we anticipate the biggest tournament on earth next year and in Mexico as well there are some venues where games played during the afternoon are likely to be very extreme for health and performance of the players. 'We are anticipating that there are going to be more problems for the coming years in the 2030 World Cup in Spain and Portugal, perhaps even worse.'
Straits Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
FIFPro warns of ‘wake-up call' over extreme heat at Club World Cup
Benoit Badiashile of Chelsea sprays water on his face to cool down at the Club World Cup. PHOTO: AFP PHILADELPHIA – Global footballers' union FIFPro on Monday called for longer half-time breaks at next year's World Cup to mitigate the effects of extreme heat, saying challenges faced by players at the ongoing Club World Cup should be a 'wake-up call' for FIFA. Conditions have often been brutal for players at the Club World Cup due to the heat across much of the United States, with coaches of several teams complaining about the challenges posed by the temperatures. With the 2026 World Cup across North America on the horizon, a FIFPro study warned that six of the 16 venues for next year's tournament present an 'extremely high risk' of heat-stress injury for players – including Miami which is one of the cities hosting games at the Club World Cup. 'This tournament is probably a really good wake-up call for everyone to look at the scheduling of matches in future tournaments,' said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPro's director of policy and strategic relations. Many matches during the Club World Cup have kicked off at midday local time or at 3pm. Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente complained of conditions being 'impossible, a terrible heat' as his team lost 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in searing temperatures in Pasadena. 'We have a couple of tournaments ahead of us where we will look at that side,' Bielefeld added, with the World Cup next year now an obvious concern as well as the 2030 tournament set to be played in challenging summer heat in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The organisation's general secretary, Alex Phillips, said FIFPro had been in discussions with FIFA about avoiding playing matches at the hottest times of the day at certain venues. However, he admitted they cannot ultimately do anything if, for example, FIFA chooses to play matches early in the afternoon in the United States in order to suit a prime-time audience in Europe. 'That is basically what has happened with this tournament. We make a submission not to kick off at certain times, but then we have no veto,' said Phillips. But the union said it was happy with some measures put in place to deal with high temperatures at the Club World Cup, such as making more water and cold towels available by the pitch for players. Yet Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPro's medical director, suggested that half-time could be extended from 15 minutes to 20 minutes in the event of high temperatures. He also said that current protocols surrounding drinks breaks should be modified, insisting that stopping games half an hour into each half to allow players to rest and take on fluids was not enough. 'We are looking at more regular cooling breaks, shorter ones, but maybe every 15 minutes,' he said. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
