Wembley pitch 'won't be re-laid'
The Wembley Stadium turf has come under scrutiny
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Monday, 20, Apr 2009 11:03
The Football Association has said it has no plans to relay the controversial turf at Wembley Stadium until after the end of the current season.
The surface has come under severe scrutiny after the weekend's FA Cup semi-finals played on Saturday and Sunday showed the pitch cutting up badly underfoot, causing the ball to bobble frequently – especially in the first game between Chelsea and Arsenal.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger branded the pitch "laughable" after his side's 2-1 defeat, and his Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson agreed - calling it "spongy" and "difficult" and claiming it had prompted him not to play his first-choice side against Everton on Sunday.
The FA have released a statement acknowledging that "there are still further improvements to be made" to the pitch, but have claimed that "everything is being done to sustain a heavily-used pitch in such a large structure".
"The grounds team has made continual improvements to the pitch since opening in 2007 however the stadium's unique environment continues to prove challenging," the statement continued.
"Wembley Stadium is working continuously with independent consultants and the grounds team to assess maintenance procedures and pitch composition. They aim to overcome these challenges and ensure the most suitable surface is achieved for all codes of sport."
The FA have confirmed that the pitch will be re-laid, but this will not happen until after this summer's concert schedule - in preparation for the traditional football season curtain-raiser, the Community Shield match in August.
"There are ten more events taking place on this pitch including the FA Cup final and England versus Andorra," a spokesman for the governing body explained.
"The existing pitch will then be replaced after the first set of summer concerts for the FA community shield.
"This new pitch will be of a different composition and from a different turf nursery.
"It is believed this composition will better suit the unique Wembley Stadium environment and make it possible to deliver both a quality playing surface and a quality event calendar at Wembley Stadium."
The FA spent £757 million to rebuild Wembley between 2001 and 2006, and have already had problems sustaining the playing surface in a reasonable condition.
Fears have been raised previously about the schedule of events - which has included a tarmac track being built for the Race of Champions as well as rugby league, rugby union and American Football matches - and the impact of this for the pitch.
After Saturday's match, Wenger said: "It is not a pitch for a stadium like that.
"You spend all that money and still have no pitch."