Italy coach Cesare Prandelli calls for timeouts in extreme heat

Italy manager Cesare Prandelli (centre)

Manaus (Brazil), June 15 Italy manager Cesare Prandelli has called for timeouts to be introduced for World Cup matches played in extreme heat.

At a press conference after the Azzurri's 2-1 victory over England in the Amazonian city of Manaus, Prandelli said players from both teams suffered in the sweltering conditions, Xinhua reported Sunday.

"It's crazy not having timeouts," Prandelli said after the match.

"We had to dial back our rhythm to catch our breath. It was impossible to maintain the intensity. Luckily the referee was good enough to interrupt every now and then, but it's madness."

Italy striker Mario Balotelli, who headed in Italy's winner early in the second half, admitted the heat and humidity had affected him.

"It's Manaus and the climatic conditions are extreme. It was too hot. Other places are hot, but not like this. If it was like this everywhere they would have to have timeouts in all the games."

England manager Roy Hodgson admitted several England players suffered dehydration during the second half.

The team had prepared for the match by training in multi-layered clothing and heat chambers.

"Quite a few of our players cramped up," Hodgson said. "That has to do with hydration. We've worked very hard on that but we still did cramp up quite a lot."