Involuntary slipping
Stadium operator blames DFB for the “disaster” pitch
March 28, 2024, 7:10 a.m
Jamal Musiala slips, slides and falls. He is happy to have “survived” the involuntary slide in the DFB international match against the Netherlands. National coach Julian Nagelsmann complains – now the stadium operator is defending himself and blaming the DFB.
According to managing director Patrik Meyer of Eintracht Frankfurt Stadion GmbH, the German Football Association played a part in the difficult field conditions during the national team’s international match against the Netherlands. “The DFB had asked for the pitch to be watered before the game, although our greenkeepers advised against it,” Meyer told the portal ran.de and added: “The pitch was watered for around 15 minutes shortly before the game, which was particularly responsible for slipping in the game Penalty area area explained.”
National coach Julian Nagelsmann criticized the quality of the pitch in the Frankfurt European Championship stadium after the 2-1 win in the friendly on Tuesday evening. “Unfortunately the place is a disaster, really a disaster,” said Nagelsmann on RTL. “There were a lot of situations in the last third when we slipped away,” said Nagelsmann, mentioning Bayern professional Jamal Musiala by name, “who unfortunately didn’t have a good footing in that case with his hooks.”
The 21-year-old himself said: “I felt like I was slipping with every action. The field went away every time, with every turn.” There is no real explanation for his slippage, which caused him to miss a great chance in the second half. “I always put on cleats,” said the offensive man. “I do a lot of rotations, so it has to be a bit stable.” He emphasized: “Luckily I survived.” The slip factor is “already dangerous”. Thomas Müller only had two words for it: “Insanity”.
Trouble in the Bundesliga too
Media representatives had “already noticed that certain players slipped more and others didn’t slip at all, which means that the shoes they chose could be another cause,” Meyer said: “Generally speaking, the grass is only just beginning to slide in March the growing season and the effects of a very wet winter are still being felt.” In coordination with the DFB, “various maintenance measures have been carried out in the last few weeks”: “And before the game, the DFB was also satisfied with the condition of the pitch.”
However, the lawn is often a cause for excitement even at Eintracht. Coach Dino Toppmöller has already expressed his dissatisfaction on several occasions, most recently ex-Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovač, who once coached Frankfurt and is therefore very familiar with the stadium, complained about the pitch, which had never been “so bad”.
The DFB team will return to Frankfurt during the European Championships: the third and final group game against Switzerland will take place there on June 23rd. If the DFB team only finishes third in the group, the subsequent round of 16 could even take place in Frankfurt.