FIFA defends Manaus pitch after players union attack

[Jonathan Fairfield]

FIFA defends Manaus pitch after players union attack

BEN STANSALL / AFP

FIFA has defended the condition of the pitch in Manaus that will host Saturday's World Cup game between England and Italy after it was criticised by players' union FIFPro.

"The issue in Manaus had more to do with aesthetics than with pitch conditions," FIFA told AFP in an email.

"The pitch has been undergoing treatment in preparation for the FIFA World Cup. Over the last three months, mitigation procedures have been put in place with significant improvement."

Pictures emerged earlier this week in which the playing surface at the Amazonia Arena looked parched and was strafed by brown lines.

FIFPro, which represents professional footballers around the world, released a statement earlier on Friday in which it said: "The players deserve a quality playing surface.

"This isn't the case in Manaus. Nobody wants to see the players and the spectacle in general suffer."

However, FIFA is adamant that the pitch will not adversely affect Saturday's Group D encounter between Roy Hodgson's England and Cesare Prandelli's Italy.

It added: "Pitch experts from FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) are satisfied that the pitch will be ready for training and the matches, and have been based in Manaus to ensure that all proper procedures are in place."

On FIFPro's comments, FIFA added: "FIFA and LOC have not received any communication from FIFPro and therefore have no comments to make."

Amid media reports that the pitch has been treated with dye, an AFP journalist on Friday observed that it looked green and in decent condition, albeit with some dry areas.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica did not mince its words with its headline regarding the state of the pitch.

"There is no grass in Manaus," it said. "The pitch is embarrassing."

The newspaper cited the head groundsman Carlos Botella, who struck a downbeat tone.

"The pitch really is in a pitiful state," he told the paper.

"We have begun to implement an emergency plan to try and rescue it, but I don't think it will be in a good condition come the weekend."

The Group D game, which kicks off at 2200 GMT, is a rematch of the sides' Euro 2012 quarter-final, which Italy won on penalties before going on to lose to Spain in the final.

Both sides were due to train on the pitch for the first time later on Friday.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-06-14