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World Cup head groundsman taking care of pitch for England's opener against Italy admits... '
Roy Hodgson is sending an FA delegation to assess the state of the pitch in Manaus amid concerns about the poor surface quality.
Pictures emerged of a poorly prepared surface inside the Arena da Amazonia ahead of England’s opening group game there against Italy on Saturday.
Even the man in charge of Manaus’s pitch admitted it was in ‘bad shape’. Hodgson’s squad make the four-hour journey by plane deep into the Amazon rainforest today and will not even practise at the FIFA-appointed training ground.
Instead, the FA revealed that the team will work in the gym this afternoon before training in the stadium on Friday evening.
England’s advance party will check the condition of the pitch — in line with FIFA regulations — and report back to Hodgson at the team hotel on Thursday afternoon.
Carlos Botella, head groundsman for the Royal Verd company which is responsible for the turf at Manaus and six other World Cup stadiums, said: ‘Frankly, Manaus is in bad shape.
Source: Daily Mirror SportEngland World Cup opener pitch AND changing room in Manaus not ready with two days to go
Workers appeared to be spraying the grass where Three Lions will face Italy this weekend green on Thursday - and stadium is unfinished too
Jungle bungle: Manaus stadium's grass gets sprayed - but what about the rest of the ground?
Chaos surrounds England’s opening game of the World Cup with fears about the state of the pitch and the dressing rooms here in Manaus.
Just 48 hours before the clash with Italy, workers appeared to be spraying the suspect pitch at the Arena Da Amazonia with a special green substance to try to make it look better.
They also face a battle against time to get the stadium completely ready, with the dressing rooms and corporate areas are still not finished.
England’s changing room is not as ready as the one due to be used by Italy - even the baths looked dirty - and only the medical rooms look finished.
There are also piles of rubble outside the ground - broken fences look a worry, too.
But England’s biggest concern, though, will be the pitch - it still looks dry and parched at one end.
The Three Lions are due to train on it on Friday night but used the hotel gym for a light session after arrival on Thursday.
Brazil 2014 officials are working around the clock to prepare the stadium, and FIFA insisted the pitch would be ready after months of preparation.
A spokesman for the world game's governing body said: “The pitch in Manaus has been undergoing treatment in preparation for the FIFA World Cup.
"Over the last three months, mitigation procedures have been put in place and there continues to be, significant improvement.
“Pitch experts from FIFA and the LOC are satisfied that the pitch will be ready for training and the matches, and have been based in Manaus to ensure that all proper procedures are in place.”
:lol: Typical tabloid report.??? what is this? Are they spraying the grass with green paint? Thats ridiculous...
Source: Daily Mirror Sport