PSG’s Luis Enrique rips into state of pitches at Club World Cup | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain got the job done against Seattle Sounders on Monday night, winning 2-0 to secure their qualification for the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup. However, post-match, PSG manager Luis Enrique took the opportunity to lament the state of the pitch.

The state of the pitches has been a topic of discussion during the Club World Cup. Jude Bellingham was notably critical of the surface at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte after Real Madrid beat Pachuca, whilst there have been long-standing concerns about the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. That stadium will also host the World Cup final in just over one year’s time.

Lumen Field played host to PSG v Seattle Sounders, and post-match, Luis Enrique said that the “ball jumped up like a rabbit” on the surface, which he complained was too dry and inconducive to Les Parisiens’ slick passing style.

“They watered it at half-time, but 10 minutes later it was dry again. For our game, it is a problem. It isn’t an excuse, I am saying it after a win, but it is a real worry. We aren’t playing at the level that we would like,” said the PSG manager.

He added that FIFA should “really take into account” the quality of the pitches before going on to compare the pitches used in the Club World Cup to NBA courts with holes.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle