Premier League games will introduce water breaks this weekend to deal with the scorching heatwave across England.
The mandatory one-minute drinks break was first introduced by the English top flight following their recovery from Covid in June 2020.
The mid-match intervals were originally designed to help players cope with the demands of a congested fixture list after the three-month break.
But, it was dropped before the start of the following season following criticism that managers were using it to give tactical advice to their teams.
Jose Mourinho, who was in charge of Tottenham at the time, said: “If someone says it’s just a drink break, we all know that’s not true. It’s a tactical break.
“You can help a team that is in the negative moment of the game and you can kill the dynamic of a team that is at the top, there is no doubt about that.”
The FA have a long-standing rule that all Premier League and EFL games played in heat above 30C can use water breaks.
Last weekend’s clash between West Ham and Manchester City was played out with highs of 32C in east London.
And as a result, the water breaks for both groups of players were taken during the first half of City’s 2-0 win.
London is also expected to hit similar temperatures this weekend after the Met Office issued an amber warning for the next four days.
Arsenal host Leicester in north London at 3pm on Saturday, with Manchester United traveling to Brentford for the 5.30pm kick-off and the two are expected to be played in weather above 30C.
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