Jurgen Klopp has warned that football is becoming ‘background music to an advertising show’ as he questioned the motivation for hydration breaks at the World Cup.

Players at this summer’s World Cup are having a break 22 minutes into each half to take on fluids, with some games in the tournament being played in extremely high temperatures, and the drinks breaks brought in to help the players stay as cool as possible.

However, Jurgen Klopp believes that the interruptions are a serious problem for the flow of the match, and he is convinced they are not there primarily to help the players.

‘When I saw the players just standing there during a heat break while TV timeouts dictated the rhythm of the match, I couldn’t help asking myself: who does the World Cup really serve? The fans? The players? Or the advertisers?’ Klopp said on German broadcaster ZDF.

‘A World Cup match should flow like a river. Instead, we build dams right in the middle so commercials can get through.

‘Football used to be the main event, but now it risks becoming the background music to an advertising show.’

Many people agree with Jurgen Klopp, with USA manager Mauricio Pochettino also speaking out against the breaks, saying, ‘I don’t like it. I only like it when the conditions are extreme. But when the conditions are good, it is unnecessary.’

American broadcasters have been using the water breaks to squeeze in more advertising during the game, with FOX Sports coming in for criticism for cutting to full-screen ads during the breaks.

Broadcasters around the world are looking to make the most out of these breaks, and the tournament in general, with the managing director of commercial at ITV, saying: ‘This will be our most commercially successful tournament ever.

‘It is not just one game but six weeks of really big TV audiences. It is effectively our six-week summer Super Bowl moment.’