Corinthians executive announces task force to improve Neo Química Arena pitch | OneFootball

The club said in a statement that executive Marcelo Paz has acknowledged the Neo Química Arena pitch has fallen short and that a task force will work over the next six days to raise standards before Internacional, after heavy criticism following Thursday’s Brasileirão match with Athletico-PR.

Paz recapped that the turf was replaced during the World Cup pause after years without a full change, with winter chosen as the best window for a winter grass. He noted the surface had been slippery in the first half of the year and affected by slime beneath the turf. Improved performance was expected early on, but it did not materialise.

He said the pitch needed time to evolve, which has not happened, so formal answers and an immediate plan were demanded from the technical team. The maintenance company accepted mistakes and, together with arena management and the football department, committed to a joint effort this week aiming for clear improvement by Internacional and continuous progress thereafter.

Paz underlined the football department’s frustration, given the expectations created by the swap, and stressed that club departments are working together to restore the usual standard.

Stadium operations manager Márcio de Luna also addressed the issue, revealing a meeting with Paz and president Osmar Stabile after the Athletico-PR game and noting previous summer replacements had delivered, with World Sports set to make the required adjustments. Coach Fernando Diniz called the surface the worst he had seen at the ground and suggested Zakaria Labyad’s injury could be linked to it.

The pitch has drawn criticism since football returned after the World Cup break. Players and staff were unimpressed during training before the Remo fixture, and midfielder Raniele missed that game with an ankle sprain attributed to the state of the surface.

Source: Meu Timao