|
Fears are rising over the state of Wembley's troubled pitch less than 24 hours before the FA Cup Final. Non-league side Wroxham who played the last game at the £750m national stadium have raised concerns after their 6-1 defeat to Whitney Bar in last Sunday's FA Vase Final. For the first time ever, both sides in tomorrows clash have been invited to train on the pitch the day before kick-off. The playing surface "could cause problems" for Chelsea and Portsmouth in Saturday's showcase final. The Norfolk side's Chairman told the BBC: "For the professionals it will be very disappointing as many of them play on particularly good surfaces. They play at a far greater pace than our boys and it could cause problems. I don't want to give the wrong impression but I certainly saw people slipping around." World Cup worries England coach Fabio Capello will also be concerned at the state of the pitch given World Cup-bound John Terry, Joe Cole, Ashley and Frank Lampard are all expected to play a part. Terry is just coming back from an injury to his right foot. The pitch has recently been re-laid for a 10th time in three years at a cost of around £100,000 each - Wembley's operators refused to put a figure on how often the stadium's pitch will be re-laid. The Football Association called the refits the "reality of a multi purpose venue" - it has also emerged that the surface will be changed up to seven times a year until at least 2023. The surface was criticised after parts cut up during the Carling Cup final between Aston Villa and Manchester United on 28 February and the FA Cup semi-finals in April. "Never again" Pitch experts have, in the past, commented on the amount of sunlight, rather the lack of, which gets to the playing surface. Earlier this week FA chairman Lord Triesman promised that Wembley would never again suffer from a poor playing surface: "It is still a relatively new stadium, it has a very peculiar microclimate but we have got the stadium as it is, and we know how to get it to a really good playing surface," said Triesman, who admitted that Wembley's "microclimate" has caused problems for the quality of the surface." England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson, speaking today after David Beckham presented the World Cup bid book to FIFA, said the pitch issues were a "step backward" but the final would "still be remarkable." Alongside dozens of football matches the venue hosts rugby union club, rugby league's Challenge Cup final, NFL games, music concerts and motorsport events. Last year the FA sacked Wembley Head Groundsman following criticism of pitch by Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and the England Coach.
|
