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4 months ago
27
The reasons behind Euro 2024's pitch problems have finally been revealed.
Throughout this summer's tournament in Germany, there's already been plenty of drama, goals and debate as we enter the quarter-final stage of the competition.
However, along with this, there have also been some complications - including the seemingly deteriorating state of some of the pitches being used.
For example, in England's dramatic 2-1 win over Slovakia on Tuesday, loose clumps from the pitch were seen flying around as tackles and shots were made.
According to The Athletic, the reason for the dire state of some pitches is due to the NFL matches that were hosted back in November.
There have been a number of issues with the pitch conditions during Euro 2024
In England's clash with Slovakia, turf could be seen flying around as tackles were made
Last year, Frankfurt played host to two NFL games including the Kansas City Chiefs against the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots against the Indianapolis Colts.
Having previously visited Germany for NFL matches, a new hybrid synthetic-natural grass pitch was installed as per request.
While the events were a success, the matches did leave the Deutsche Bank Park pitch in poor condition and lead to turf being re-laid again.
Frankfurt had a home game there against Stuttgart two weeks later, and at such short notice the only surface that was possible to put down was natural grass.
Frankfurt is not the only place that has suffered with these issues. Similarly, Dusseldorf’s pitch was relaid three times between the end of the season and the Euros.
Meanwhile, Switzerland recently complained that 'the grass died on their practice pitches in Waldau' before eventually moving to a new facility in Stuttgart.
Similarly, when England played Denmark in Frankfurt, the pitch was in a worrying condition
UEFA's specialists, working with the Frankfurt groundstaff, will use sand to replace some of the divots and put heated lamps over the grass for as long as possible to dry it out. But the same issues may appear again.
A statement read: 'UEFA and its independent pitch consultants have been working closely with the grounds team in Frankfurt in the the build-up of the tournament to guarantee optimal playing conditions and have seen the overall pitch rating improve consistently over the course of the previous season.
'A detailed maintenance plan is in place to address specific issues and further improve quality ahead of the upcoming fixtures at the venue.'
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