WENGER RELIEF
Arsenal through to next round of cup
UEFA love nothing more than raking in cash.
It’s a shame they’re less keen on raking pitches.
The state of the playing surface Manchester United had to endure at FC Rostov on Thursday night was nothing short of disgraceful. But I don’t blame the Russian club one bit. I blame the custodians of the Europa League itself.
UEFA make so much money from their flagship competitions, it is ridiculous.
As a result, they have an obligation to spend some of it to protect their integrity.
There is no way top players should be asked to play on a pitch as bad as the one United and Rostov had to cope with. Jose Mourinho reckoned it was dangerous. The United boss also claimed UEFA’s man in Russia told him his players were insured if they were injured by the surface. That’s a shocking attitude to take if true. To be fair, Jose might have been over-egging the pudding a bit on the danger front.
Sub-standard playing surfaces make a mockery of UEFA’s competitions
But the knockout stages deserve better – there can be no argument there. As I said, I can’t point my finger at FC Rostov. They don’t have the enormous bank balance of football’s real big boys, and Thursday’s match was their first at home since the end of the Russian winter break.
Clearly, I’m no weather man. But I suspect the conditions in Rostov over the last few mo n t h s ha v e n’t be e n conducive to maintaining a lush playing surface. That’s why UEFA should have stepped in. Nobody watching the 1- 1 draw between United and their Russian opponents could have failed to notice the impact the pitch had on the game.
It was bobbly, it was bare, and it was rutted – it made playing decent football impossible.
Is that really what UEFA want to present to the world in the latter stages of the Europa League?
Anyone tuning in would have been forgiven for tuning out almost immediately. It was brutal at times. That’s why the governing body should have a fund for such emergencies.
They should be able to step in and say: “Right, this pitch isn’t up to scratch for top-level football. We’re paying for a new one, right now.”
By definition, clubs who would get the benefit of such a fund would not be giants.
A Manchester United, a Barcelona, a Real Madrid or a Bayern Munich don’t need the help – and wouldn’t get it.
They spend hundreds of thousands of pounds every year to ensure their playing surfaces are like carpets, regardless of weather conditions, all the year round.
Not every club can do that. But finance should not be a barrier to playing in the Europa League or Champions League – at least no bigger a barrier than it already is.
At the same time, sub- standard playing surfaces make a mockery of the competitions.
UEFA have got the cash reserves to do something about it, to protect their brand and help out member clubs when assistance is required, as with the bonus of a new pitch for reaching the latters stages of their competitions.
That is surely part of their remit as competition organisers?
For me it’s a no- brainer. Unfortunately, it seems the guys in charge are already operating on a no-brain basis.