Football Federation Australia will meet tomorrow with Sydney FC and the Sydney Cricket Ground Management regarding concerns over the playing surface after last night’s game between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory.
The Head of the Hyundai A-League Greg O’Rourke said: “Last night’s conditions were unacceptable. If we are not confident that the ground will improve significantly then alternate venues would be sought in the future for Sydney FC home matches.”
“Whilst FFA understands the current demands on the surface, which now sees five codes using the ground, it appears that the needs of our code around surface condition may not be able to be met, despite the best intentions of all parties.”
“The processes we have in place approved the surface last night as playable and safe. These processes include pitch inspections in the days leading up to the game and on game day by Sydney FC, SCG, the match commissioner and the referees.”
“It goes without saying, we wish Terry Antonis a quick return to playing,” he said.
Mr O’Rourke said player safety and quality of surface is treated seriously by FFA: “We will sit down tomorrow and review the decision leading up to last night’s game. If we are not comfortable with the process undertaken, we will have no hesitation in finding a better way for next season,” he said.
“We are committed to working towards playing on fewer venues which host multiple codes. Expansion teams Western United and South West MacArthur will both have minimal use from other codes in their stadiums in the long term, which is what we all need to work towards,” Mr O’Rourke said.
