Not a drop to drink: When FIFA didn’t allow players a sip of water during games

About 24 minutes into the match, the broadcast cut to Charlton, who was seen throwing water at his players whenever they were close to the touchline. He was also hurling opened water bottles at them, for which he got reprimanded multiple times by the fourth official. There is also a clip of him angrily hurling an opened water bottle to the ground.

Charlton’s ire was not without reason. The 1994 World Cup was held during a historic heatwave, at stadiums that were concrete bowls not designed for daytime football matches. Average temperatures inside stadiums hovered in the mid-30s Celsius with the final at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California being played at a scorching 38 degrees Celsius. FIFA approached this problem by acting like it didn’t exist. Let alone a drinks break – which has been introduced for the 2026 tournament – players were not allowed to have a sip of water even when the ball went out of play.

Charlton was not having any of it. After the match against Italy in New Jersey, the former Leeds United defender said he would draft a letter to FIFA seeking water breaks for the players. Ireland’s next match was against Mexico and he said that his concern was not just for his players but for the opposition as well.

“It’s easy to give people water when they’re on the sides,” Charlton is quoted as saying in an Los Angeles Times report from June 21, 1994 – three days after Ireland’s victory over Italy. “We even sent somebody to the other side of the field – we were told we could do that by a FIFA representative – but the security people wouldn’t let him near the touchline.

“Ten, 15 seconds a couple or three times each half. That’s all I want. Whether we’ll get that, I don’t know. I had five players in the first half who never had a drink for the first three-quarters of an hour. . .”

No sympathy

FIFA responded… with snark. Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s then-general secretary, is quoted as saying in a report in The Independent from June 23, 1994 that “it was no coincidence that the only manager to complain was the one from Ireland”.

“He does not have a problem with water, he has a problem with officials at most stadiums, and that’s not FIFA’s fault. If his players want water against Mexico, they can have it. There is no problem and he should stop complaining.”

Charlton wasn’t the only one complaining though. A number of players from the host nation described the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan – where the USA played Switzerland to a 1-1 draw on June 18 – “the worst place I have ever played at”, “probably the hottest game”, “the field felt like we were running in sand” and so on.

Eventually, the world body relented and allowed water bags to be thrown onto the pitch for players to sip from.

Three decades later, the World Cup returns to the USA and this time, every match will feature mandatory hydration breaks midway through each half. The breaks will take place at around the 22nd and 67th minutes, and will be mandatory regardless of weather conditions.

However, the irony hasn’t disappeared, it has simply shifted to the stands. FIFA had banned water bottles in the stands for this year’s tournament, leading to backlash from fans. One June 6, the decision was reversed and now, fans will be permitted to bring in ‘one, soft, plastic, 20 ounces (590ml), factory sealed disposable water bottle into any FIFA World Cup 2026 match in the USA and Canada.’ Three decades have passed and yet, when it comes to the matter of water at an American World Cup, it is not yet water under the bridge.