Uefa has plan to 'address' Frankfurt pitch

Uefa says a plan is in action to improve the quality of pitch at Frankfurt Arena after issues with the surface during England's draw against Denmark.

Players struggled with the poor condition of the pitch during the Euro 2024 Group C encounter at the home of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Large chunks of turf were littered across the field early on in the fixture, with ground staff seen filling buckets full of grass after the game.

"A detailed maintenance plan is in place to address specific issues and further improve quality ahead of the upcoming fixtures at the venue," Uefa said.

“Uefa and its independent pitch consultants have been working closely with the grounds team in Frankfurt in the the build-up of the tournament to guarantee optimal playing conditions and have seen the overall pitch rating improve consistently over the course of the previous season."

Organisers also opted to close the roof at the stadium for the Three Lions' second outing at Euro 2024.

Professor Steve Haake, from the sports engineering research group at Sheffield Hallam University, believes the additional humidity inside the arena also had an impact.

"When you've got 58,000 fans all breathing out and getting very excited, that's going to create a thousand kilograms of moisture per hour," Prof Haake said.

"Part of the problem is they're keeping the climate out, keeping the sun out, keeping the moisture out. The grass needs exactly those two things in order to grow well. I suspect they got the timing wrong."

The next fixture to take place at the venue is on 23 June when hosts Germany take on Switzerland in Group A.

Slovakia and Romania meet in Group E on 26 June and the final game will be a last-16 tie between the Group F winner and one of the four best third-placed teams on 1 July.

Players had difficulties with the pitch during Thursday's match