ARLINGTON, Texas — It has not taken long for the hydration breaks at this year’s World Cup—sometimes more accurately called match breaks by the broadcasters ready to cut quickly to commercials—to draw out a loud chorus of boos from fans in attendance.
Match after match, as soon as officials point to the touchline and players begin slowly walking off the pitch, the general dislike of an enforced three minutes without game action has become easy to hear in every venue. Such was the case on Friday afternoon at AT&T Stadium during Egypt’s dramatic 1–1 (4–2) penalty kick win over Australia in the round of 32 of course, as groans were interwoven with the universal sign of displeasure no matter what football culture you hail from.
