Neo Química Arena operations chief explains pitch care after criticism | OneFootball

After complaints about the condition of the Neo Química Arena pitch during the scoreless draw between Corinthians and Athletico-PR last Thursday (30), in the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship, the stadium’s operations manager, Marcio de Luna, explained the field maintenance process and said the administration has already begun an evaluation to correct the problems presented.

The match was marked by criticism of the pitch condition and also by two injuries in the black-and-white squad. Forward Yuri Alberto had to be substituted after feeling pain in the back of his thigh. Midfielder Zakaria Labyad, meanwhile, left the field on a stretcher after suffering severe knee pain.

Photo: Disclosure / Corinthians

After the match, Marcio de Luna revealed that the Neo Química Arena administration met with Corinthians president Osmar Stabile and football executive Marcelo Paz to discuss the pitch’s performance.

“After the match against Athletico-PR, those responsible for the Arena met with president Osmar Stabile and football executive Marcelo Paz to understand the technical feedback from football regarding something we were already aware of: unfortunately, the pitch’s performance is not in line with what it should be and with what was planned when this work was carried out before the break for the World Cup.”

Next, the operations manager explained that, for the first time since the inauguration of Neo Química Arena, the pitch was changed to a winter grass surface. According to him, the company responsible for maintenance has already been called in to seek an improvement in the field conditions.

“It is worth noting that the planning also followed the logic of seasonality. In other words, we have a winter pitch that was replaced in winter. This was the first time this has happened at Neo Química Arena since its construction. We have made other replacements in the past during the summer period, and the performance was satisfactory. In light of this, we have already contacted the company responsible for pitch maintenance, which has been performing this role since the stadium was built, so that the field reaches the expected level of performance by the next match.”

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