Petit slams World Cup's americanization: "Pathetic" cooling breaks and halftime shows

Emmanuel Petit, a member of France's 1998 FIFA World Cup-winning team, believes the United States has overshadowed Canada and Mexico at the FIFA World Cup, again expressing concerns about the "Americanization" of football.

"I feel sorry for Canada and Mexico because nobody has any sympathy for them, and nobody sends them any message," Petit told Alex Brook on the 'How To Win The World Cup' podcast.

"It feels like the whole event is organized in the US. Everything else has been taken away. It's always been USA, USA, USA."

"FIFA is trying to turn football into an American sport throughout the entire event. I really hate that."

"I hope there won't be any more cooling breaks in the next FIFA World Cup. I also hope there won't be another 30-minute halftime break to watch such a pathetic show."

"In my opinion, it's pathetic. Even the celebrities performing on the field don't even believe in what they're doing. We can see it from the outside."

"They've tried their best to make the performances on the field more exciting. But seriously, this isn't the Super Bowl, this is football. We should stick to football, preserve our traditions, and stay away from this rubbish."

Petit also added that he was "concerned" about the future of the event and mentioned that England celebrating with fans after the match to Oasis's hit song 'Wonderful' was also part of the reason for shifting attention away from football itself.

Petit continued: "I love music... I know performances are important, but to be honest, I think it's gone a bit too far."

"Maybe I'm too old, maybe I'm too old-fashioned."

"But considering how FIFA is managing this event now, honestly, I'm worried about the future."

"It will lose some tradition and culture. I think the football I experienced in the past cannot be compared to what's happening now at all."

"I know football has to evolve with time, and music is a part of it, everything is changing. But again, I think it's gone too far. Sometimes we should go back to how it was before."

"We should only focus on football, nothing else."

Petit concluded that the hydration breaks throughout the tournament, as well as the halftime show in the final, were "pathetic" scenes, further reinforcing that FIFA seems more concerned with making money than protecting players.

"I was thinking yesterday, a 30-minute halftime break, plus hydration breaks, plus extra time. Can you imagine how long the players were on the field on the day of the FIFA World Cup final?" he asked.

"Are you protecting football by doing this? No. Are you just thinking about money? Yes."

"Do you care about the image of football worldwide? Because the fans in the stadium see things differently from those outside."

"But outside, sometimes I really feel this performance looks pathetic."

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