Story ProgressBack to home
Russia may play Eng on artificial turf
Russia may play England on artificial turf in a European Championship qualifier at the Luzhniki stadium.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: July 14, 2007 01:55 PM IST
Read Time:2 min
Moscow:
Although no decision has been made, Russian Soccer Union spokesman Andrei Malosolov said on Thursday that there was a high probability that the October 17 match will be played at Luzhniki because of its 84,000 capacity. Lokomotiv stadium, which is another possible venue for the match, seats only 28,000.
"Our priority is the number of spectators," Malosolov said.
He said a final decision on the site and the surface will be up to Russia coach Guus Hiddink, who is expected to discuss the issue with union chief Vitaly Mutko later this month.
English soccer officials who traveled to Moscow recently to deal with organizational issues examined the surface at Luzhniki and expressed no concerns, Malosolov said.
Grass could be substituted for the artificial surface at Luzhniki, which is also the venue for next season's Champions League final.
Artificial fields were used in English soccer during the 1980s but later banned because they were unpopular and also led to frequent injuries. England players are used to playing on them, however, because most Premier League clubs have artificial surfaces for training purposes.
Russia may play England on artificial turf in a European Championship qualifier at the Luzhniki stadium.Although no decision has been made, Russian Soccer Union spokesman Andrei Malosolov said on Thursday that there was a high probability that the October 17 match will be played at Luzhniki because of its 84,000 capacity. Lokomotiv stadium, which is another possible venue for the match, seats only 28,000.
"Our priority is the number of spectators," Malosolov said.
He said a final decision on the site and the surface will be up to Russia coach Guus Hiddink, who is expected to discuss the issue with union chief Vitaly Mutko later this month.
English soccer officials who traveled to Moscow recently to deal with organizational issues examined the surface at Luzhniki and expressed no concerns, Malosolov said.
Grass could be substituted for the artificial surface at Luzhniki, which is also the venue for next season's Champions League final.
Artificial fields were used in English soccer during the 1980s but later banned because they were unpopular and also led to frequent injuries. England players are used to playing on them, however, because most Premier League clubs have artificial surfaces for training purposes.
Topics mentioned in this article
Football Bayern Munchen
Get the Latest IPL 2024 Updates, check out IPL 2024 schedules and IPL points table at NDTV Sports.Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more sports updates. You can also download the NDTV Cricket app for Android or iOS.