Perhaps the only stain on Thursday’s curtain-raiser were FIFA’s newly-mandated “hydration breaks.”
When FIFA announced the change, it said the breaks were for “player welfare,” but many fans saw through the spin and assumed the breaks would be used by broadcasters to show commercials.
On Thursday, Fox, which holds the English-language U.S. broadcast rights, confirmed those fears.
It not only cut away to advertisements; during the second half of Mexico-South Africa, its commercials ran long and caused viewers to miss several seconds of action after play resumed. The blunder sparked an uproar among longtime fans.
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