The iconic Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as the San Siro, has been used in continual manner throughout the 2021/22 season without any break, inflicting unprecedented deterioration of the pitch condition, although it is still up to UEFA regulations.
Chief Serie A agronomist Giovanni Castelli has blamed the number of matches played at Italy’s largest stadium for the condition of the pitch this season.
According to the grass management expert’s exclusive interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the quality of the soil on the pitch is not a problem, but rather the frequency of games that is being played at the stadium.
“It is not even the worst season: the watershed year was 2014 – during which we changed the field ten times. The San Siro is an urban legend. The lawn is detached from everything below, forty centimeters below. It is a closed system, with a suspended pitch,” he said.
Both Milan and Inter play incessantly at the legendary stadium, with virtually no breaks, week in and week out.
“For almost eight years we have chosen a hybrid, synthetic turf mixed with natural. But playing with this frequency, even 24 hours between games, any lawn would suffer. As long as there are two teams that also play cups. in the same stage, the problem will recur.”
Campo di San Siro, l'agronomo Castelli: "Si gioca troppo, durante la sosta faremo tutto ciò che possiamo": Giovanni Castelli, agronomo della Lega Calcio e responsabile del terreno di San Siro dal 1990, ha parlato così delle condizioni non ottimali del… https://t.co/aEvxK9X8PE pic.twitter.com/t2yNqeyeyW
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Milan face Juventus at the San Siro, before facing eternal rivals Inter two weeks later, and Castelli has pointed out that it is a good opportunity to revamp the pitch during the short period.
“From Milan-Juve to the (Milan) derby we have two weeks: one would be used to replace the pitch, one to sew it. Everything should work perfectly: it shouldn’t rain, freeze, snow. There shouldn’t be a hitch in transport.
San Siro has everything you need, all the most modern systems. But you play too much and this is the duty to pay, as it happens, albeit in a different way, in Rome and Genoa,” he explained.
Finally, the expert shed light on the fact that the recently concluded UEFA Nations League tournament prevented the pitch from being reconditioned.
“Usually the hybrid terrain gets along well all season, but with this overwork, any hybrid would give problems. The original sin is the Nations League which prevented us from using the October break to intervene. It can’t be the same in January.”