Ian Wright led criticism of the World Cup final pitch following a goalless first half between Spain and Argentina at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“It's ridiculous, it's poor, it's terrible,” Wright said on ITV, before adding that the pitch was “bobbly and dry”.
The playing surface at the New York New Jersey Stadium has been a talking point throughout the World Cup, and has faced criticism from players and managers.
The pitch is natural grass, which has been installed over the artificial surface, but has appeared dry and patchy throughout the World Cup.
Brazil star Vinicius Jr said following the 1-1 draw against Morocco that “because of the weather and the heat, the grass dries out quickly and the game ends up being very slow”.
He added: “We can’t build up a rhythm. That makes things difficult because…we want to move the ball from one side to the other and this disrupts our game.”
France coach Didier Deschamps also criticised the surface and said: “The pitch in New York was really tough - it took a lot out of the players’ muscles.”
Before playing a game in Philadelphia, Deschamps added: “If there is some rain, good, because the grass will be faster and the quality will be better, much better than the one in New York.”
The MetLife Stadium is home to the NFL’s New York Giants but other NFL arenas, such as Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium and the Dallas Stadium in Texas, have not had issues.
Those two stadiums are played under retractable roofs, however, which means the grass is not as exposed to the hot, dry weather in the North American summer.
The first half of the World Cup final was largely dominated by Spain, with defending champions Argentina failing to land a shot on target.
The playing surface will not be helped by the extended World Cup pre-game and half-time shows, which also took place on the pitch.
Half-time at the World Cup final lasted 27 minutes and 19 seconds after the ‘Super Bowl style’ show delayed the resumption of the match.
Organisers Fifa had assured both teams before the final that the half-time show, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and featuring Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber and Burna Boy, would only last 11 minutes, with the time needed to assemble and dismantle the stage at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey taking the total length of the expected break to around 20 minutes.
However, the delay to the World Cup final was actually much longer, which meant Fifa went even further in breaking their own rules. The half-time show also brought cameos from Brazil legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis, as well as Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Appearing on the BBC, former England captain Wayne Rooney said it was “crap”.
In the laws of the game, governed by Ifab (the International Football Association Board), it states half-time breaks should “not exceed 15 minutes”. There were over 27 minutes between referee Slavko Vincic’s whistle at the end of the first half and the start of the second.
In the end, super sub Ferran Torres fired Spain to their second men’s World Cup triumph as what looks to be Lionel Messi’s last dance ended in 10-man Argentina falling to a meek 1-0 extra-time defeat.
Billed as a box-office final between the South American and European champions, what transpired was a defence versus attack exercise as the holders showed spirit but precious little else.
Faltering Argentina failed to muster a shot across 90 minutes and only Emiliano Martinez’s heroics kept Spain at bay, with the goalkeeper preventing teenager Lamine Yamal from scoring a match-winning free-kick.
The reigning champions lost Enzo Fernandez to a brainless second yellow card just before extra time, with Lionel Scaloni’s lacklustre side continuing to stumble against Luis de la Fuente’s classy, ball-playing outfit.
Spain kept knocking at the door and substitute Torres eventually slammed home at the start of the second period of extra time. Argentina were unable to eke out an equaliser having been a pale imitation of the team that broke England’s hearts in Wednesday’s semi-final.
Tempers frayed as the final whistle sparked Spanish celebrations and surely called time on 39-year-old star Messi’s last World Cup match.
