PFA hammer inadequate Spotless Stadium pitch

Professional Footballers Australia have released a statement condemning the Spotless Stadium pitch that Western Sydney Wanderers played on against Newcastle Jets on Friday night.

Source: AAP

The pitch had shards of plastic as well as loose nails on it ahead of the match, leftover from a concert that had taken place last weekend. 

Jets coach Ernie Merrick slammed the state of the pitch, comparing it to a carpark. 

"I'm not sure if you could call it a football pitch, it's more like a carpark," Merrick told Fox Sports. 

"Of course I am (worried) but the match commissioner says it's playable so it's playable.

"We're happy to play as long as we don't get an injury but that's pretty bad."

PFA Chief Executive John Didulica claimed that the "safety of players from both teams was compromised."

"In our game, the quality of the playing surface afforded to the players is critical," Didulica said. 

"It is impossible for any player to play to their capacity when a fundamental component of the game is hijacked.

"Through our discussions with the clubs and FFA since the match we accept the extreme weather leading into the fixture in Sydney contributed to the dangerous conditions. 

"However, this does not change the heightened risk of injury that players were exposed to nor the overall inadequacy of the surface for football.

"I think everybody in the game - players, administrators, coaches and fans - deserve higher standards of care from our stadiums if they wish to host football matches."