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| June 12, 2006 | Monday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1427 |
English FA in water row
BUHLERTAL, June 11: England's Football Association will approach soccer's governing body FIFA after match officials in their Group B opener against Paraguay prevented players getting all the water they needed.
Despite sweltering temperatures of up to 29 degrees Celsius (84 Fahrenheit) on Saturday afternoon, England's players were at times denied access to water by officials at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt.
“We're certainly going to make some kind of communication with FIFA, not any kind of complaint, but I know the medical staff were concerned,” FA spokesman Adrian Bevington said on Sunday.
“I think we went through 70 litres of water during the course of the game yesterday. We normally go through somewhere in the region of 20.
“That shows how much fluid was required by the players and it is important they can access it as soon as possible.
“It's important FIFA and the referees take that into account when you're playing in such severe heat...if there's a break in play, a goal kick, a corner, a throw-in, that the referee factors in an extra second or two so players can get a quick intake of fluid.”
Bevington said the England players who lasted 90 minutes had shed “somewhere between five and 10 pounds...and that is despite the huge amount of fluid intake they received”.
FIFA later issued a statement recalling the rules on water provision given to all 32 finalists at a workshop in March.—Reuters
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