Wembley contemplates fresh move in pitch battle

Officials at Wembley Stadium announced Tuesday they were looking at ways of improving the pitch after last weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals.

The surface at England’s national stadium again 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 labelled the pitch a “disgrace” after defender Michael Dawson slipped in extra-time against Portsmouth, allowing Frederic Piquionne to score the goal that sent Pompey on their way to a shock 2-0 win on Sunday.

Now it is “probable”, according to a Wembley statement on Tuesday, a new pitch will be laid in time for next month’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Portsmouth on May 15.

That is despite the present one only being down for four weeks.

But previous attempts at relaying the turf do not appear to have solved the fundamental problem of how to provide a stable surface for players and, with England playing their penultimate World Cup warm-up against Mexico at Wembley on May 24, there are fears a member of Fabio Capello’s squad might be injured.

“We accept and understand the frustrations around the standard of the pitch at Wembley for last weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals,” a Wembley statement said.

“The problems faced on Saturday were due to the way the surface was prepared and the measures used overnight were unable to resolve the situation sufficiently for the match on Sunday.”

The old Wembley was slammed for almost everything but its much lauded pitch.

Many within English football are bewildered at how 757 million pounds (1.16 billion dollars) could be spent revamping a stadium which FA chiefs hope will host the 2018 World Cup Final, while seemingly neglecting the playing surface.

However, in order to help finance the redevlopment, Wembley authorities committed themselves to holding a number of events, aside from football and the Rugby League Challenge Cup final which had traditionally been staged there.

This weekend, Premiership rugby union side Saracens will be in action at the stadium, which has also hosted NFL games and even speedway as well as staging rock concerts.

But Wembley chiefs are adamant that football remains their priority.

“We are working with expert pitch consultants to get it right,” the statement said.

“Wembley Stadium is a multi-purpose venue and we have to hold other events as part of the business plan, which means regular pitch replacements each year.

“Football is the number one priority and we understand we have to find a way to deliver and sustain a consistent quality pitch and replicate the successful formula we developed in the second half of last year.

“We are currently reviewing all options to provide the best surface for the busy period going forward, including a probable pitch replacement. We will make this decision after the weekend.”