After the training turf debacle in Stuttgart, the Swiss national team is in danger of another slippery patch in their final European Championship group game in Frankfurt. Opponents and hosts Germany are also anything but satisfied.
UEFA is hoping that the turf problems at the European Championship venue in Frankfurt, where Switzerland will play their final group match against Germany on Sunday, will be rectified quickly. "There is a detailed maintenance plan in place to address specific issues and further improve quality ahead of the upcoming matches at the venue," UEFA announced on Friday in response to a dpa inquiry.
UEFA has been working closely with the stadium operator for some time "to ensure optimal playing conditions", it added. On Thursday, the pitch in the Frankfurt Arena was not in good condition.
What is the problem?
The pitch is in an extremely slippery condition, which poses considerable standing problems for the players. As a result, the pitch is full of grass shreds. This was most recently seen during England's match against Denmark (1:1) last Thursday. England defender Kyle Walker slipped dangerously in the early stages and had to change his boots, as did his team-mate Bukayo Saka later on.
What do the players say?
England coach Gareth Southgate did not want to blame the pitch for his team's poor performance. "We don't need to make excuses. That's not the reason for our performance." Instead, the Danes spoke plainly. "Even if you played with iron studs, the pitch was very slippery. It's obviously not the best court," criticized Joakim Maehle. "We had difficulties running on it."
Striker Yussuf Poulsen, who visited the arena a month ago with RB Leipzig for the Bundesliga final at Eintracht Frankfurt, was also unenthusiastic. "It wasn't the best pitch I've played on, but it wasn't the worst either. I've played in Frankfurt before and it's always like this. I told the lads to put their studs on, because it gets slippery after 20 minutes," reported Poulsen.
What did opponents and hosts Germany have to say about the pitch?
Not good. "Unfortunately, the pitch is a disaster, really a disaster. There were a lot of situations in the final third when we slipped away," said coach Julian Nagelsmann after the March international against the Netherlands.
Bayern veteran Thomas Müller spoke of "madness" at the time. And Musiala reported: "I felt like I was slipping every time I played. The pitch went away with every turn. I always do a lot of spins. The court has to be stable. A bit slippery is okay, but it was dangerous."
What caused the problem?
The reason for the poor condition of the pitch is apparently the NFL guest game in Frankfurt last November. After the two appearances of the American football stars on the Main, the worn hybrid turf had to be replaced. For cost reasons, the stadium operator then decided to lay natural turf, which was under water for weeks due to the onset of winter and heavy rainfall.
Can a remedy be found?
The European Football Union hopes that the turf problems can be resolved quickly. "There is a detailed maintenance plan in place to address specific issues and further improve the quality ahead of the upcoming matches at the venue," UEFA announced on Friday in response to a dpa inquiry.
UEFA has been working closely with the stadium operator for some time "to ensure optimal playing conditions", it added. If the efforts do not bear fruit, only cosmetic improvements will help. As was the case during England's match against Denmark, when four greenkeepers plugged the worst holes in the pitch during the half-time break.
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