FIFA said Wednesday that "it is not considering changing kickoff times or adding mandatory cooling breaks" during World Cup matches, despite "being sued by Brazil's players' union because of health concerns," according to Tales Azzoni of the AP. FIFA said that "it spent nearly two years analyzing starting times for the tournament in Brazil and always took into consideration the players' health." The players' federation filed a lawsuit this week to change kickoff times of the 24 matches scheduled to start at 1pm local time, saying that players "would be at risk because of intense heat and humidity in some venues." It said that FIFA, at least, "must introduce two-minute water breaks in each half during those matches." The players' federation is "asking for a temporary injunction against FIFA but there's no timetable on a ruling." In a statement, FIFA said, "Cooling breaks will be considered on a match-by-match basis for the 64 matches. Official and mandatory cooling breaks will not be pre-established. Rather, climate conditions will be evaluated prior to each match by the FIFA venue medical officer" (AP, 5/21).
