[EU] Champions League 2007/2008 (42 Viewers)
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Platini: Players to decide if pitch is playable
Updated: May 20, 2008, 12:15 PM EST 104 comments
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MOSCOW (AP) - UEFA president Michel Platini tried to allay fears voiced by the head groundsman that the recently laid Luzhniki stadium pitch is not fit to host Wednesday's Champions League final.
Matthew Frost has repeatedly said that he has not been able to prepare the field properly, with its installation in place of the regular artificial surface complicated by interference and lack of expertise.
The field was visibly uneven as the lines were being painted Tuesday - with the imported sections of grass still distinct from each other - but Platini said it was too early to be alarmed.
"Why is the pitch in terrible condition?" Platini asked Tuesday. "Let the players train on it first. It is them who play, not you or me."
Frost said the field won't be up to the standards that Manchester United and Chelsea are accustomed to. The two English teams are used to mostly playing on high quality surfaces in the Premier League.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was happy the stadium's artificial surface had been replaced and wasn't worried about its quality after both teams trained on it Tuesday.
"I have no concerns about it," Ferguson said. "I am sure that they have done their best. The fact that they have relayed it from (artificial turf), we are happy with that. But sometimes Old Trafford in January and February is not at its best."
Chelsea captain John Terry said his players would use the training session to decide on the length of studs on their boots for the game.
"We've heard different things, that it's not been laid too long and it's not bedding in too well," Terry said before practice. "But it'll be the same for both sides and, as long as we get our footwear right, which we will do tonight with the kitman, deciding what studs we want and things like that."
Platini was backed up by UEFA general secretary David Taylor, who said the Slovakia-imported turf was "perfectly playable."
"There have been a lot of comments from Mr. Frost ... but he was responsible for the state of the pitch," Taylor said.
Frost was drafted in to oversee the stadium's transition from its artificial surface - on which England lost a 2008 European Championship qualifier to Russia in October - to real grass.
But his advice not to install the grass before the harsh Russian winter was not heeded and, because of its poor quality, a replacement had to be brought in a couple of weeks ago.
Frost had said the new pitch was far from the standard of the Premier League, his previous benchmark, but believes it is sufficiently settled not to pose a danger to players.
"The ball may not travel perfectly like it would on a pitch that has been in situ for some time," Frost told the BBC. "There might be a bit of a bobble."
Former West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer said an uneven pitch would be a "great shame."
"This is the most prestigious club game in Europe and the players really deserve a top quality surface," Beckenbauer told The Associated Press.
Moscow authorities reportedly spent around US$3 million (€1.9 million) on the new surface.
Platini and Taylor were speaking after a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in a Moscow hotel.
Addressing rumors that the expense of the trip could deter Britons and result in the potentially embarrassing prospect of numerous empty seats at the stadium, the UEFA delegates said that only a few hundred tickets remained unsold.
More than 42,000 British fans are expected to arrive in the Russian capital Tuesday and Wednesday.
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8157732/Platini:-Players-to-decide-if-pitch-is-playable
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SWEET! Hopefully Ronaldo will tear a ligament on the terrible turf.
Updated: May 20, 2008, 12:15 PM EST 104 comments
add this RSS blog email print
MOSCOW (AP) - UEFA president Michel Platini tried to allay fears voiced by the head groundsman that the recently laid Luzhniki stadium pitch is not fit to host Wednesday's Champions League final.
Matthew Frost has repeatedly said that he has not been able to prepare the field properly, with its installation in place of the regular artificial surface complicated by interference and lack of expertise.
The field was visibly uneven as the lines were being painted Tuesday - with the imported sections of grass still distinct from each other - but Platini said it was too early to be alarmed.
"Why is the pitch in terrible condition?" Platini asked Tuesday. "Let the players train on it first. It is them who play, not you or me."
Frost said the field won't be up to the standards that Manchester United and Chelsea are accustomed to. The two English teams are used to mostly playing on high quality surfaces in the Premier League.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was happy the stadium's artificial surface had been replaced and wasn't worried about its quality after both teams trained on it Tuesday.
"I have no concerns about it," Ferguson said. "I am sure that they have done their best. The fact that they have relayed it from (artificial turf), we are happy with that. But sometimes Old Trafford in January and February is not at its best."
Chelsea captain John Terry said his players would use the training session to decide on the length of studs on their boots for the game.
"We've heard different things, that it's not been laid too long and it's not bedding in too well," Terry said before practice. "But it'll be the same for both sides and, as long as we get our footwear right, which we will do tonight with the kitman, deciding what studs we want and things like that."
Platini was backed up by UEFA general secretary David Taylor, who said the Slovakia-imported turf was "perfectly playable."
"There have been a lot of comments from Mr. Frost ... but he was responsible for the state of the pitch," Taylor said.
Frost was drafted in to oversee the stadium's transition from its artificial surface - on which England lost a 2008 European Championship qualifier to Russia in October - to real grass.
But his advice not to install the grass before the harsh Russian winter was not heeded and, because of its poor quality, a replacement had to be brought in a couple of weeks ago.
Frost had said the new pitch was far from the standard of the Premier League, his previous benchmark, but believes it is sufficiently settled not to pose a danger to players.
"The ball may not travel perfectly like it would on a pitch that has been in situ for some time," Frost told the BBC. "There might be a bit of a bobble."
Former West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer said an uneven pitch would be a "great shame."
"This is the most prestigious club game in Europe and the players really deserve a top quality surface," Beckenbauer told The Associated Press.
Moscow authorities reportedly spent around US$3 million (€1.9 million) on the new surface.
Platini and Taylor were speaking after a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in a Moscow hotel.
Addressing rumors that the expense of the trip could deter Britons and result in the potentially embarrassing prospect of numerous empty seats at the stadium, the UEFA delegates said that only a few hundred tickets remained unsold.
More than 42,000 British fans are expected to arrive in the Russian capital Tuesday and Wednesday.
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8157732/Platini:-Players-to-decide-if-pitch-is-playable
_____________________
SWEET! Hopefully Ronaldo will tear a ligament on the terrible turf.
any body feeling chelsea is going to be taking this home??? i hate both teams to be honest but if i had to chose the less evil of two its def chelsea wining this and getting manure back to reality. i have a damn good feeling its going to be one looooooooooooooooong night in london and a miserable one at manchester so i"ve got my fingers crossed for that.
if there is any reason why i would be supporting chelsea it would def be:
1- manure fans will be depressed and that counts to me specially when u go to a uni with hard core manure glory hunters!!!!!!
2- manure will still have just 2 cls like juve and that means a great deal to me.
salman u got those two points on yr mind ???? lol
1- manure fans will be depressed and that counts to me specially when u go to a uni with hard core manure glory hunters!!!!!!
2- manure will still have just 2 cls like juve and that means a great deal to me.
salman u got those two points on yr mind ???? lol
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