Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 3 minutes ago
The German joked that he would have enjoyed them when he was a coach.
Transcript
00:01Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who is now working as a pundit at the World Cup, has backed the controversial
00:09hydration breaks being used at the FIFA tournament, insisting they help players cope with difficult conditions, and he joked that
00:18coaches appreciate the extra pause.
00:21Jurgen Klopp admitted the stoppages may be too long, but said he would have welcomed them during his managerial career.
00:32The hydration breaks have sparked widespread criticism from across the game.
00:38England boss Thomas Tuchel and Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro have both argued that they disrupt the flow of matches,
00:47while Alfaro also linked the issue to football's growing commercialisation, criticising soaring ticket prices and claiming fans are increasingly being
00:58priced out of major tournaments.
01:01Former England striker Gary Lineker has also criticised the price of tickets.
01:06It's been a hot topic in the UK.
01:09Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an enquiry into how expensive wild tickets should be.
01:16Now this World Cup is much more expensive than the last, and we've seen FIFA being accused of basically price
01:22gouging.
01:23Do you think they're ripping off fans?
01:25Yes, I think something's got to be done about this.
01:27There's got to be an enquiry afterwards.
01:29You can't have football at its best if you price ordinary fans out of the game.
01:35We've got real fans, people who have followed the team for years, who just can't afford to get to these
01:41games.
01:42And the ticket price for the final, I think it's about 30 or 40 times what the price was for
01:46the Euro final in Germany.
01:48So these are extortionate prices.
01:51It's got to change.
01:52They've got to have tickets that are available to ordinary fans at a reasonable price.
01:56And I think what we need is an enquiry afterwards.
01:59Now, what should happen is also that the money has got to get to the grassroots game.
02:03So when FIFA has this money, we've got to make sure that it helps ordinary clubs, amateur sports, grassroots sports
02:10as well.
02:10So that's another issue that's got to be dealt with.
02:13Too much money is held by FIFA.
02:14Not enough is getting to the ordinary game down at the grassroots.
02:18I was in the queue for the Haiti match, and the atmosphere amongst the Scottish fans was amazing.
02:24And it made up for the hour or two you had to wait to get in, and for the cost
02:29of the drinks, which was $18, I think, they were charging, which is ridiculous.
02:33But the Scots, they drank Boston dry.
02:36At the same time, they cleaned up afterwards.
02:38They made themselves great favourites in Boston.
02:41I think Glasgow is going to now be twinned with Boston.
02:44It's a huge thing to happen because Boston is a great city.
02:47Glasgow is a great city.
02:48And I think what's happened is that the Americans have taken the Scots fans to heart.
02:51So I hope we get through to the next round, and wherever it is, I think we'll get a great
02:56welcome from the American people.
Comments

Recommended