Asian Cup 2015: Suncorp Stadium given all clear after China coach criticism

ASIAN Cup officials have deemed Suncorp Stadium’s much-maligned playing surface to be good enough for the tournament despite admitting its appearance isn’t ideal.

China's Yu Hai gestures to the crowd as he celebrates after scoring a goal during the first round soccer match of the AFC Asia Cup between China and Saudi Arabia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, January 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Steve Holland)

ASIAN Cup officials have deemed Suncorp Stadium’s much-maligned playing surface to be good enough for the tournament despite admitting its appearance isn’t ideal.

SUNCORP SURFACE ‘VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY BAD’

CHINA SNATCH POINTS AGAINST SAUDI ARABIA

As reported by The Courier-Mail on Saturday night, China coach Alain Perrin slammed the state of the pitch after his side’s 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

“It doesn’t deserve the competition this pitch … (it’s) very, very, very, very bad,” Perrin said.

Alain Perrin wasn’t happy with the playing surface.

Parts of the playing surface were re-laid only last Monday after grass failed to grow as expected.

As a result, the pitch looked patchy, despite neither side being seemingly affected by the surface.

“The playability of the Brisbane pitch has been tested and is at a good standard,” an Asian Cup local organising committee spokesman said.

“The aesthetics of the pitch were not ideal at the start of the tournament because of the relaying of sections of the pitch in early January.

“However, the aesthetics are expected to improve during tournament as the grass knits together and the colour improves.

“LOC management continues to liaise with stadium management and AFC to ensure the pitch is prepared to the highest possible standard for the remaining Asian Cup matches in Brisbane.”

Suncorp Stadium will host another six matches in the tournament, including Monday night’s Jordan-Iraq clash, Saturday’s battle between Australia and South Korea, and a quarter-final, possibly involving the Socceroos, on Thursday week.

Jordan coach Ray Wilkins wasn’t concerned by the state of the pitch ahead of his side’s Group D match with Iraq.

“We’re totally OK with it, no problem at all,” Wilkins said.

Jordan coach Ray Wilkins.

“I’m sure the Asian federation have tried their utmost to get the pitch in the best condition it can be and if it’s not in greatest condition, then so be it.

“It’s the same for both sides so we certainly won’t be complaining about that.”

Suncorp Stadium general manager Alan Graham admitted he was disappointed with the pitch’s appearance, but said the key factors were that the field had been deemed “safe and playable”.

“And it will continue to improve as we move on through the tournament,” said Graham, who added that neither China or Saudi Arabia had complained to officials about the state of the pitch after training on it the night before their game.

“We’ve got consultants and we’re working closely with the LOC and continue to make sure that we present the pitch in the best possible way for each game.

“This morning it recovered quite well. Our guys were all over it.

“We didn’t even consider saying we’ll have to drop the training session the night before the match.”