São Januário pitch criticised after Vasco go through

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·14 maggio 2026

São Januário pitch criticised after Vasco go through

The condition of the pitch at São Januário came under fire again after Vasco’s match against Paysandu in the Copa do Brasil last Wednesday (13). Images captured during the match show several worn patches, holes, and uneven coloring in various areas of the field.

Even with qualification secured, the quality of the surface where the team plays its home matches is worrying the coaching staff ahead of the rest of the national season. In addition, the state of the pitch also sparked discussion on social media among fans and journalists.

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Palmeiras assistant called the field a “potato patch”

Criticism of São Januário’s pitch is nothing new this season. After losing to Vasco in the Brazilian Championship, Palmeiras assistant João Martins strongly complained about the field conditions:

“You can’t really tell on TV, but it looks like they planted potatoes there.”

The assistant also complained about the uneven surface and said the rain made conditions worse during the match. At the time, Vasco representatives defended the field and pushed back against the criticism.

The state of the pitch drew attention – Photo: Reproduction

Vasco recently carried out work on the pitch

In recent years, Vasco made changes and treatments to the São Januário pitch in partnership with Greenleaf, the company also responsible for the Maracanã.

The previous issues were explained as a mutation in the stadium’s grass layers. To solve the problem, CRVG invested in a complete replacement with the Bermuda Celebration variety, a hybrid grass made up of 90% natural fibers and 10% synthetic ones. Despite the high cost involved in spending big on a top-level pitch, the images show that the visual and practical result is still unsatisfactory.

The club is now trying to understand why the cutting-edge technology installed by Greenleaf is not holding up under the run of matches at São Januário.

Modernizing the infrastructure is one of the current management’s key goals to ensure the team can perform at its best at home. Without a quality field, Vasco’s fast-paced style of play ends up being neutralized by the surface itself, increasing the risk of slip-ups and injuries. The immediate challenge is to turn the “potato patch” into an elite pitch before outside criticism begins to affect squad morale and investor confidence.