Female players' 'safety at risk' due to poor pitches

Melanie Leupolz — Real Madrid beat Arsenal in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday night amid poor conditions [Getty Images]

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) says the safety of female footballers is being put "at risk" by substandard playing conditions in major matches.

Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid in their Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, in a match played in dreadful conditions at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano.

Playing conditions at the stadium, usually used by the Real Madrid men's reserves team, deteriorated quickly with large patches of mud appearing on the stitched hybrid pitch.

It followed complaints from players and pundits after Saturday's women's League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Pride Park, home of Championship side Derby County.

The pitch featured an uneven surface and large patches of mud and bare turf.

The PFA, which is one of the biggest unions for professional footballers, said in a statement on X: "Pitches like this don't just impact the quality of the game, they put player safety at risk.

"On multiple occasions over the last few days, in important ties, our members have been asked to play in substandard conditions.

"World-class players deserve world-class standards, and they are right to expect better."

What happened in the games?

The pitch at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano is deemed an elite surface by Uefa, however, it deteriorated badly before Tuesday's game following heavy rainfall.

Around five to 10mm of rain was forecast to fall in Madrid this week, as Spain is hit by storms.

There was a pitch inspection before kick-off by the refereeing team and it was deemed playable, however, once the game started it began to cut up badly.

It made free-flowing football near impossible for both Arsenal and Real Madrid, with both sets of players covered in mud by full-time.

It was the second such incident in a major women's match in a matter of days, following Chelsea's 2-1 League Cup final win over Manchester City.

The final does not have a permanent home, unlike the men's game which is always played at Wembley, and took place last year at Molineux.

The host club is required to ensure the pitch is in good condition, with venues identified during the winter months to have the resources to deliver a high standard.

No concerns were flagged by match officials during their pre-match checks at Pride Park, however, large patches of mud and sand were visible by the latter stages of the game.

Women's League Cup final pitch — The condition of the pitch for the women's League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City was also criticised [Getty Images]

What has the reaction been?

While Uefa has not made an official comment about the state of the pitch during Real Madrid v Arsenal, fierce criticism followed from players, managers and pundits.

Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright described the pitch as a "disgrace" in a video on his Instagram page.

Gunners manager Renee Slegers said she did not want to criticise Real Madrid or Uefa, but expressed her unhappiness.

"I think we've seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions haven't been great," she said after the match.

"We had a plan for it, but then it's always hard because over a season and over time you work on things and you have an identity, the way you want to do things. Then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden you need to do things differently, so that's hard."

Chelsea's players were much less diplomatic after the women's League Cup final.

"I don't think this surface was fit for a final to be honest with you," Scotland midfielder Erin Cuthbert told BBC One. "We didn't play at our best but we just hung in there."

Blues manager Sonia Bompastor added: "It is a shame to have this pitch for a final, especially when you expect in England to have the best groundsmen and pitches in the world.

"I'm not sure if it was a men's final game it would be the same. We just need to make sure we have the best facilities and grass to play the games."

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