Borussia Dortmund supervisor Niko Kovac urged the Membership World Cup pitches resemble a golf inexperienced in that they’d be good for practising your placing, however much less so for taking part in video games of soccer.
Dortmund misplaced 3-2 to Actual Madrid on Saturday on the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is the place each semi-finals and the ultimate of this event shall be performed.
Actual will face Paris Saint-Germain in a type of semis, whereas Chelsea will meet Fluminense. The 2026 World Cup ultimate may even be held right here at this stadium.
After it was confirmed that his facet had exited this competitors, Kovac mentioned: ‘This pitch and with the pitches we’ve performed on in Cincinnati and in addition in Atlanta, the grass high quality is completely different within the stadiums.
‘It’s extra a golf inexperienced. You may putt right here. It’s very quick. This isn’t the grass we’re used to enjoying on within the Bundesliga and in addition the opposite stadiums.
‘As you noticed, the watering wasn’t adequate, I’d say, since you don’t have the licence for that. For prime-speed soccer, you want good situations and also you want additionally a very good pitch, the fitting pitch. When it’s too dry, it’s unbelievable, it’s sticky, I can’t clarify it.
Borussia Dortmund boss Niko Kovac urged Membership World Cup pitches resemble a golf inexperienced
Dortmund misplaced 3-2 to Actual Madrid on Saturday on the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
‘I would love so that you can exit and take a look at it after which you will notice how it’s.’
Now out of the Membership World Cup, Kovac additionally urged the kick-off occasions may very well be chosen extra sensibly.
‘We performed two occasions in Cincinnati – the primary time, it was 12 o clock, the second time, 3pm. On the pitch we had temperatures of round 45 levels. If you happen to exit operating and the temperature is 45 levels, that is very onerous. Right this moment we had 35 levels, which can be not a lot better.
‘However OK, that is the event we have to play. My suggestion is that the kick-off occasions ought to be a bit later. As a spectator, you wish to see intensive, aggressive, up-and-down soccer. When it’s too scorching, it’s troublesome to play this type of soccer.’
In the meantime, tickets for the primary semi-final, which shall be performed between Chelsea and Fluminense, had been set at greater than £300 per particular person. On Friday, the asking value dropped to £32.66 and on Saturday, it grew to become £9.81.
