Are the russians cheating making England play on astroturf?

Question

the penalty was outside the area!! wasn't a penalty anyway..

Def cheating......

Answer 1

They did it to gain some advantage.

Gary O'Connor(SCOTLAND INTERNATIONAL) commenting on the pitch.

"I've played on it 15 or 16 times and it's awful, horrible. It is difficult for me to say one good thing about it. Where do I start?

"Firstly, England will have to be aware that a lot of the Russians will be wearing tights.

"It looks like a ballet rehearsal but I'm telling you, if you don't want your legs ripped to pieces you are better off wearing them.

"You know in the old days when you played on artificial pitches, you'd get bad burns. Well, things haven't changed that much.

"There's no shame wearing tights because if you have dived in a few times, your legs will be red raw at the final whistle.

"Another thing to say is that you can't judge the bounce. The black rubber pieces they use might deaden the bounce but they make for an uneven surface.

"Also, they soak the pitch. They are aware that the ball does not roll as quickly as it does on grass and to get the ball rolling, so to speak, there are huge industrial hoses that they wheel out and drench the pitch for an hour before the start.

"Honestly, I've stepped on to the pitch and watched my feet sink. My boots have been covered by water.

"The ball comes at you quickly at the start because it skids off the water. Then, obviously, as that disappears it slows down.

"England will be praying it is not a hot day because the heat causes the water to evaporate. It's like playing in a steam-room, you can hardly breathe.

"It doesn't matter what you wear on your feet. I used to wear moulded studs. Some of the other players used specially adapted boots that were supposed to help.

"No matter. You still end up with blisters on your feet. You can hardly walk by the final whistle.

"It's not just the feet, either. Some of the Russian players won't play on it. A Lokomotiv player called Dmitry Sychev needed a serious knee operation after playing on it.

"The doctors there have forbidden him from playing on it again. They think it's dangerous.

"The doctors have a lot of say on what goes on out there and there are numerous individuals in the Russian League who just refuse, point blank, to allow people to go on it again.

"It's just a dreadful experience. I cannot begin to tell you how tough it's going to be for them."

O'Connor has accused the Russians of playing a dirty tricks campaign by staging the match there.

He is convinced there are several other stadia better placed to host the international.

He said: "They could have played this at any number of venues. They've played matches in St Petersburg, at Zenit's ground, or the pitch at Lokomotiv is fabulous.

"I think Celtic have played there and manager Gordon Strachan almost accused the Russians of cheating.

"I think there is some spite in their decision to hold it at the Luzhniki. Will it help them? Of course. They will do anything to beat England. It will be seen as a big coup for them."

Answer 2

I don't think it's cheating after all the English players will have trained on that type of surface for thier clubs and country so you can't really blame the surface. Never saw the penalty but heard Rooney was offside for his goal so it kind of evened out.

What I don't understand is that UEFA will force Moscow to replace the plastic pitch with real grass for the Champions league final despite stating that it is ok for Champions league and international games.

Answer 3

Hows it cheating though? Astroturf is just artifficial grass that doesnt need to be cut.If anything the pitch will be perfect to play on for both sides.Ok russia have got the edge because there used to playing on astro turf but we are much better than russia when we are on top form so it shouldnt matter.We always qualify for the euro's.

Answer 4

As of 1730 gmt Russia has just scored a penalty. Score 1 a piece

Answer 5

i know that playing on a plastic pitch is unfair, but it aint cheating. even the england manager said it shouldnt be too much of a problem and they wont use it as an excuse. england have the talent there to beat russia, no matter what they play on. you have to remember that a team in russia actually play on that plastic pitch every few weeks.

Answer 6

For a start, it was nothing like astroturf, it was a synthetic grass. Do you really think it's economical to have a grass pitch during Russian winter?

Answer 7

Its synthetic grass not astro - big diff.You try & maintain a grass pitch in the middle of a Russian winter.

Answer 8

Celtic played Spartak on the same pitch, that was also heavily watered before the game. It may stink of gamesmanship but you have to get on with it.

Answer 9

No sure every other team in the group has had to play there.

Celtic played there and got a draw now stop crying

Answer 10

Not when it's minus 20 degrees celcius in Moscow. Would you rather they decide it with a game of rock, scissors, paper?