Playoff pitch a worry for Portugal

9 November 2011 02:14

The Portuguese FA has issued a second criticism of the venue for the first leg of their Euro 2012 playoff with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Representatives from the Portuguese FA had already launched a complaint to UEFA regarding the state of the turf at the Bilino Polje in Zenica.

The governing body for European football dismissed Portugal's request to have the match moved to a different stadium, stressing an expert had been hired to keep the turf in a good condition.

But after studying photos of the pitch, Portuguese FA sporting director Carlos Godinho has expressed further concerns about the state of the surface ahead of Friday's match.

"The turf is even worse than it was when it was first inspected, after the play-off draw," he told Lusa.

"We lament that UEFA did not do enough for the game to be played in the best conditions."

Following the first leg in Zenica, Bosnia visit Portugal for the return fixture at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz on November 15.

Portugal defeated Bosnia 2-0 on aggregate in a qualifying playoff to reach the 2010 World Cup, with a Raul Meireles goal securing a 1-0 victory for the visitors at the Bilino Polje in November 2009.