After Club World Cup heatwave in US, soccer players’ union warns of higher risk at next World Cups

GENEVA (AP) – Extreme heat faced by soccer players at the Club World Cup in the United States will likely be an even bigger problem at the next two men’s World Cups, their global union FIFPRO warned on Monday.

The monthlong club event is being played in a heatwave in 11 American cities and union officials praised FIFA for helping to better protect players with cooling measures at games.

Still, FIFA did not take FIFPRO’s pre-tournament advice to look at postponing kickoff times by several hours on the hottest days – a move that would be even more complicated at a World Cup with more commercial pressures in play and more games scheduled each day.

Six of the 16 World Cup host cities next year in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are judged by FIFPRO as “extremely high risk” for heat stress injury to players among the 48 teams. The highest risk cities are Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas, Miami and Monterrey though some have indoor, air-conditioned stadiums.

“We are anticipating that this problem is going to be even more crucial for the coming years,” FIFPRO medical director Vincent Gouttebarge told reporters in a briefing call.

The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted in June and July by Spain, Portugal and Morocco where fewer stadiums are enclosed and cooled, and temperatures in some cities on Monday were at or above 100 degrees F (38 C).

By 2030 the hot weather prospects for the tournament there “is even perhaps worse than what we have been facing so far,” Gouttebarge cautioned.

FIFPRO said extra heat mitigation measures could include 20-minute halftime breaks instead of 15 to help lower players’ core temperatures, and cooling breaks in play every 15 minutes. Currently, breaks are taken in the 30th minute of each half.

FIFA was approached for comment.

FIFA has reacted during the Club World Cup to lower the threshold for insisting on cooling or water breaks, plus placing more water and towels around the edge of the field.

“We are partially happy because FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was underway,” FIFPRO CEO-like general secretary Alex Phillips said.

Better shading benches for the substitutes and more hydration breaks are also preferred by the union, which has national affiliates representing players in about 70 countries.

“All these practical things is something that we must do better,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO strategy director, though adding “at some point that probably won’t be enough.”

The union gave its research to FIFA ahead of the Club World Cup opening on June 14, based on weather trends in the host cities since 2014. Seven of the 11 were judged high risk with Philadelphia and Washington, DC, at the top end.

“The past few weeks was also a confirmation of our worry,” Gouttebarge said, “that the heat condition would play a negative role for the performance and health of the players.”

Six Club World Cup games also were stopped because of forecast electric storms nearby. The delay was nearly two hours in Charlotte during Chelsea’s win in the round of 16 against Benfica.