Philadelphia, June 23: Heavy rain and thunderstorms prompted a delay of just over two hours at halftime of Monday’s World Cup match between France and Iraq.
It was the first rain delay of the tournament and the first time in at least several decades that a World Cup match was delayed midgame because of inclement weather.
The delay was announced a few minutes before 6 pm (local time) and the game resumed at 8 pm.There was also heavy rain ahead of Monday night’s game between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which started on time.
With France leading 1-0 at halftime, scoreboard messages directed the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field to take shelter in the stadium’s covered areas, warning that a severe storm was on the way.
Sheets of rain fell through halftime as thousands of fans huddled in the concourse and under balconies.The stoppage was initially expected to extend the 15-minute halftime break by another 15 minutes. As the delay dragged on, stadium officials announced that “the game will resume when deemed safe.”
The teams returned to the field to warm up after about 1 hour, 40 minutes, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Crews used squeegees to push standing water toward the sideline of the swampy field.
A rule used by FIFA pauses games for 30 minutes if lightning is detected within 8 miles. Each strike resets the clock.France and Iraq played through a downpour that started in the 37th minute. Fans donned ponchos and most stayed in their seats until they were told to find shelter at halftime.FIFA long had a reputation for continuing matches even through extreme weather. A 2014 game between the U.S. and Germany continued in Brazil even after torrential downpour that flooded parts of the surrounding city. (AP)
