Players´ chief joins Wembley´s pitch battle

English Players’ chief Gordon Taylor has become the latest high-profile figure to pour scorn on the Wembley pitch after last weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals.

The surface at England’s national stadium came under fire after players from Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Portsmouth struggled to keep their feet due to the wet grass and hard soil beneath it.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp and his players were especially angry after Michael Dawson slipped at a crucial moment in extra-time against Portsmouth, allowing Frederic Piquionne to score the goal that set his side on the way to a shock 2-0 win.

Redknapp called the turf a disgrace, while Spurs striker Peter Crouch said: “It was ridiculous. Everyone was slipping all over the place and it proved more costly for us because it caused Michael Dawson to slip for their goal.

“No one could stand up, there is no getting away from it.”

With England due to play their penultimate World Cup warm-up against Mexico at Wembley on May 24 after the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Portsmouth on May 15, there are serious fears about a member of Fabio Capello’s squad getting injured.

So far the English Football Association, the organisation responsible for Wembley, have opted not to comment, but Professional Footballers Association boss Taylor was quick to describe the pitch as an embarrassment.

“The pitch is a big concern. It is becoming an embarrassment for the FA and it needs to be addressed and addressed properly,” Taylor said on Monday.

“There is no point worrying about the finances of Wembley if people are going to be wary of playing there because the pitch is not up to it and you don’t get a fair contest.”

In order to complete their 757 million pounds revamp of the stadium, the Wembley authorities committed themselves to holding a number of events, aside from football and the Rugby League Challenge Cup final, which had traditionally been held at the stadium.

This weekend, Saracens will be in action at the stadium, which has also hosted NFL games and even speedway.

Taylor added: “It is a matter that has been brought to our attention on more than one occasion.

“You expect the priority for a stadium which is going to be predominantly used for top football games would be the quality of pitch.

“There is great experience in this country about the building of new stadiums and the difficulties you can have.

“You would have thought this is the one area they would have concentrated on, knowing it was going to get a great deal of use.

“There is no point having the stadium if we don’t have a pitch that is worthy of staging big international games, cup finals and a World Cup final in years to come.”