Neymar backs Memphis in criticism of synthetic pitches in Brazil | OneFootball

Neymar agreed with Memphis Depay regarding criticism of synthetic pitches in Brazilian football. The Santos attacking midfielder responded to a post by the Corinthians striker this Thursday.

“Artificial turf kills the game. Brazil, when will you listen to the players?” questioned the Dutchman in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “I agree,” replied the Brazilian star.

Memphis’s complaint came right after Corinthians’ 1-0 victory over Athletico-PR at Ligga Arena in Curitiba (PR) last Wednesday, in the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil.

The foreign striker even suffered a recent injury in a derby against Palmeiras at Allianz Parque, which also has a synthetic pitch.

Longstanding criticism

Neymar has never hidden his dissatisfaction with stadiums that have artificial grass. Recently, the attacking midfielder described the Allianz Parque surface as “society” and declared that playing on such a field is practically impossible for him, regardless of injuries.

“Playing at Allianz (Parque), for me, is practically impossible. Playing on society turf is one of the things that bothers me as a player, regardless of my injuries. So being able to play at Morumbis, on a field that is very good, is always better,” he stated.

Furthermore, the star took part in a campaign that gained momentum against synthetic pitches, involving several top-tier Brazilian footballers, such as Gabigol, Dudu, Lucas Moura, Thiago Silva, and Philippe Coutinho.

They posted images and texts on social media criticizing the use of artificial fields, emphasizing that “football is natural, not synthetic,” and arguing that the solution for poor pitches is investment in quality fields, rejecting the use of synthetic surfaces in professional football.

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