French FA slams clubs for poor Euro 2016 pitches

PARIS (Reuters) - French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet told the country's top clubs on Wednesday to make the quality of their pitches an absolute priority, describing one ground at Euro 2016 as "a failure".

French FA slams clubs for poor Euro 2016 pitches

(Reuters)





European governing body UEFA has said it is unhappy about the state of pitches, in particular in Marseille, Lille and Saint Denis where the showcase Stade de France is located. It appeared to point the finger at stadium owners and clubs.

"I would like to tell our clubs that having nice pitches has to be their absolute priority," Le Graet told a news conference at France's training camp outside Paris.

"The quality of our pitches has to be better. We have great infrastructures but some of our pitches are not adapted to top-level football."

UEFA had asked for pitches in Nice, Marseille and Lille to be replaced, the FFF president said.

"For Nice, it worked. For Marseille, it was more complicated but we have indications that it will be better for the matches to come. As for Lille, it is a failure," he said.

"Who's to blame? UEFA, the clubs? I think it's time to tell the clubs something needs to be done about this."

Almost halfway through the month-long, 24-team tournament, the demands on pitches have never been greater at a European Championship. Some stadia are hosting six games and wet weather across France is visibly having an impact.

With the exception of the Parc des Princes in Paris and Lens's Bollaert stadium, which are soccer-only venues, stadiums in the tournament have multiple uses as owners maximise commercial activity.

A French grass association accused UEFA of "scandalously" trying to pass the buck over the state of playing surfaces, laying the blame firmly on the governing body.

UEFA responded by saying it was entirely satisfied with the work done by its pitch consultant Richard Hayden.









(Writing by Patrick Vignal. Editing by Adrian Warner.)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world