“?UEFA have been “?accused of avoiding responsibility over the state of the pitches at Euro 2016.
The French team have been the most notable victims of poor playing surfaces, after their matches against Albania and Switzerland saw a number of players slip on the surface, while ground staff were sent out at half-time during the Switzerland game to repair the torn-up pitch.
France manager Didier Deschamps was particularly critical of the pitch for the match against Albania, and UEFA acknowledged the issue on Friday, condemning the French clubs and stadiums for their part in the pitch preparation.
However, the French Grass Company, which is a French grass association, has hit back at the claims from UEFA, stating that the governing football federation had ignored the opinions of experts whilst preparing for the tournament.
“The organisers of the competition want to clear themselves of any responsibility by discrediting the highly qualified professionals, who are experts of French pitches,” the French Grass Company declared in a statement.
“This stance is at the very least scandalous, when we know these (experts) were systematically excluded in any of the decision-making process and their advice ignored.”
The French Grass Company seemed disappointed at the shifting of blame by UEFA, and claimed that the pitches were in perfectly good playing condition at the end of the domestic season.
“The consultant mandated by UEFA believed it necessary to intervene, in particular by placing non-compatible grass from an Austrian firm in the Marseille, Lille and Nice stadiums… against the advice of French specialists.
“It is only these pitches that have problems today,” the association said.
“That must just be a coincidence.”
France topped the group after their draw against Switzerland, who finished second, and both sides will progress to the knockout round.
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