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22.01.2008 Football News

Pitch concerns leaves Le Roy fuming

22.01.2008 LISTEN
By Ghana FA

Rich culture preceded the start of the African Cup of Nations as dancers and performers treated the nearly packed Ohene Djan Stadium to different routines on a sheet-laid pitch.

In their bid to keep the grass fresh and ready for the opening game between Ghana and Guinea, organisers of the opening ceremony laid sheets over cushion pads as the performers had little contact with the long grass.

But when the game started, the long grass seemed to impede both sets of players with the ball frequently held up on the turf, making passing difficult, a situation that Ghana coach, Claude Le Roy blamed on the pitch, saying it affected play throughout the match even though the Black Stars won 2-1.

Le Roy directed his concerns at the organisers of the competition.

"The first thing is not the quality of the armchair in the VIP room, but the quality of the pitch," he said of the field at the Ohene Djan stadium.

"In more than 20 years in Africa, it's the worst pitch I've ever seen."

"We have a technical team which likes to play one-touch football and this pitch badly affected our game."

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