Ground staff at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will work nearly 24 hours a day for the next five days trying to ensure that two of the best teams at the World Cup won’t have to play on an inferior pitch.
Brazil and The Netherlands are on course for a quarterfinal on Friday at Port Elizabeth if they get past Chile and Slovakia respectively. The rain-damaged pitch is being heated with giant warming lamps and a tarp protects the centre of the field and penalty areas. The weather wasn’t helping on Sunday, but sunshine is forecast to replace intermittent light rain on Monday and Tuesday.
Rain fell during the second half of Uruguay’s 2-1 win over South Korea on Saturday. The pitch was already in rough shape following three days of rain about 10 days ago, and took a further battering when England beat Slovenia 1-0 last Wednesday.
“The pitch isn’t good,” Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said. England captain Steven Gerrard also said the pitch wasn’t in great shape, but added he “had certainly played on worse.” On Sunday, six stadium workers were replacing giant divots in the turf. The heat lamps were placed at the north end of the pitch where the stadium is in shade for much of the day.
That end was particularly hard-hit when England dominated Slovenia in the first half of the tie and chunks were missing after the opening 45 minutes. Workers routinely carry shovels and sand to the pitch after pre-match warmups and at halftime.
“We just need some help with the weather,” stadium worker John Thanda said on Sunday. At Port Elizabeth, only teams involved in the first two group matches — Greece, South Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal were allowed to train on the main stadium pitch. — AP