“Makes you want artificial turf”: Léo Ortiz blasts Maracanã pitch | OneFootball

Center back was one of several players who criticized the condition of the Maracanã pitch right after Thursday’s match (17)

The state of the Maracanã pitch became the target of heavy criticism after Flamengo secured qualification in the Libertadores. After the 1-1 draw with Independiente del Valle (ECU) this Thursday (17), Léo Ortiz described the surface of the ‘Sacred Temple’ as “practically unplayable.”

The complaint drew attention precisely because Flamengo is leading the push for pitch standardization in Brazil and opposes artificial surfaces. With that in mind, the defender admitted that the poor condition of the natural grass ends up giving arguments to those who support switching to synthetic turf.

— I hope whoever can do something, does it. Because it’s really very complicated to play on, especially for a team like us that likes to play with the ball. Today it helped us, but it could have hurt us. We couldn’t play. That’s why, at certain moments, people talk about synthetic turf — he said, before continuing:

— Sometimes, you have to admit they have a point. With pitches like this, it really encourages the use of synthetic turf. The biggest reason for having synthetic pitches in Brazil is natural grass in this condition — the defender continued.

However, Léo Ortiz was keen to stress that the pitch is not an excuse for the team’s below-par performance in every aspect of the game. Even so, the center back expressed concern about preserving the surface for the rest of the season.

— The pitch has nothing to do with the result of the match, it’s not an excuse. We were worse than them in every aspect of the game: mentally, physically, technically and tactically. But the pitch really is unplayable, it’s very bad. We know a FIFA window is coming up, but the pitch won’t get a break, because there’s going to be NFL. What will become of the pitch for the rest of the year? — said Léo Ortiz.

ARRASCAETA ALSO COMPLAINED

“A match that became difficult. We know their team has good quality, but we can’t allow them to come here and play like that. We have to impose ourselves. But for that, we need a good pitch as well. We’ve been suffering a lot in these last few matches. The pitch keeps getting worse, more and more difficult to control the ball. We can’t allow, with the team we have, a pitch like this,” said Arrascaeta.

WHAT DID ROSSI SAY ABOUT THE PITCH?

“Today’s main objective was achieved, which was to get the team qualified to once again be among the top four in South America. After that, I don’t even need to talk about the pitch, everyone can see it. With the way we play, it’s unbelievable that we have to deal with a pitch like this. I don’t know who’s responsible, but it’s unbelievable. Both penalty areas are f***ing bad. If you look, there’s f***ing mud everywhere. There’s still going to be the NFL game, so I hope that after that game the pitch gets better,” said the Uruguayan goalkeeper.

WILL THE MARACANÃ HOST THE NFL?

The Brazilian football calendar comes to a halt during the FIFA window, from September 21 to October 6, 2026. That way, the break could have served as some breathing room for the Maracanã pitch to undergo improvements.

However, that will not happen. The NFL Rio Game 2026, between the Baltimore Ravens (USA) and Dallas Cowboys (USA), will take place on September 27, 2026, at the Rio stadium.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH AT THE MARACANÃ?

So, three days after qualifying in the Libertadores, Flamengo will already return to the Maracanã pitch this Sunday (20). In this way, Rubro-Negro will face Red Bull Bragantino in the 28th round of the Brasileirão. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), with full coverage from Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.