December 9 – As World Cup organisers prepare for a rush of bookings following last week’s draw, with fans working out exactly how much they can afford and how to get the best deals, FIFA have amended kickoff times of seven matches for the purposes of television coverage.
Italy versus England, which was due to have started at 3am central Europe time, in the Amazon venue of Manaus, will now kick off three hours early at 6pm local time. International players’ union FIFpro is urging FIFA to do everything possible to avoid stifling heat and humidity at certain locations.
The organisation suggested ”that the world’s governing football body considers the demands of TV companies of greater importance than the health and safety of the players.”
One solution FIFA is looking at is the insertion of designated water breaks into matches
Belgium vs. Russia will start at 1pm local time in Rio de Janeiro, instead of 7pm, which would have required European viewers to stay up beyond midnight. Likewise defending champions Spain whose clash with Chile in Rio has been has been moved from 7pm local time to three hours earlier.
But some games will actually start later, rather than earlier, as a result of the changes. Portugal vs United States and Cameroon vs Croatia, both in Manaus, have been moved back three hours from 3pm to 6pm local time while Ivory Coast against Japan will now kick off at 10pm local time in the tropical coastal resort of Recife.
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