from the Telegraph: Germany's secret weapon rejected by England
The Germans’ formidable stamina in this World Cup is partly due to a secret weapon turned down by England because the Football Association felt it had insufficient time to test it properly.
The CoolingGlove, an $1,800 (£1,050) mitt designed by Stanford University scientists that pumps iced water around the hand, is donned by players in the dressing room at half-time, immediately reducing their temperatures.
This prevents the onset of cramp, according to Trevor Steven, the former England international who took the CoreControl product to the FA.
“I talked to Dave Reddin [the FA’s head of performance services],’’ Steven said. “This would have cost them $30,000. We didn’t get it to them soon enough. They wanted more time to look at it. I was disappointed but I totally understand.
“The Germans have had it for 18 months. The Germans bought 20 units, they’ve been using it, and it did not surprise me that in the France v Germany [quarter-final] game, the top five distances were covered by German players.
“I’m seeing it in their dressing room; it’s not just for decoration. You don’t get cramp with this. You reboot your system at half-time. It cools you from the inside, rather than the outside with air-conditioning in the dressing room which is only superficial in bringing your heat down.
“It’s not going to make England a better footballing team but small details are important. In Mexico in 1986, it was incredibly hot and we just had cold towels wrapped round our heads at half-time.”