Sydney FC are set to ditch the pitch at Sydney Cricket Ground for the crunch match against Perth Glory unless conditions can be dramatically improved in the next 10 days.
There was a furious backlash against the state of the field at the SCG for last night's vital Big Blue clash between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory that saw Terry Antonis limp off after twisting his knee on the uneven surface.
After the match, Victory coach Kevin Muscat branded the surface a disgrace.
"To ask players to come to work and work under those conditions is unacceptable," he said. "If nothing gets said, we're just accepting it.
"It's part of the reason everyone else treats us with contempt - all the other codes. Because we accepted that.
"That surface was not conducive to a ball rolling on it. It was dangerous. I've never seen a surface where there was three different types of grass.
"There might be a serious injury as a result from it."
Tough result yesterday, Well done Sydney.
— Ola Toivonen (@OlaToivonen20) April 6, 2019
Regarding the pitch the federation (FFA) need to take their responsibility. They talk about growth and making the league exciting. In my opinion presenting a pitch like that is not acceptable.
The Victory boss stressed that it had no impact on the scoreline and paid tribute to the way the match was played and Sydney's win – but said he felt the game should never have kicked off at the SCG.
He added: "A stance should have been made tonight, but unfortunately it wasn't."
Under the terms of their lease with the SCG Trust, Sydney FC are understood to be obliged to play six games a year at the SCG if it is aavailable – but they managed to work with the FFA to ensure the fixtures meant the SCG was only available for three of the home and away games this season.
Now though, they are looking at moving the scheduled fixture against Perth Glory on April 18 away from the SCG to an alternative venue.
CEO Danny Townsend has conceded the surface conditions were unacceptable and wants answers from SCG staff on remedies available.
“The pitch clearly wasn’t up to the standards required for professional football and we are working with the SCG Trust and FFA to assess its suitability to host our game against Perth in 11 days’ time," he said today.
"All options are on the table, including moving the game, and those discussions are already underway."
Victory today said Antonis would undergo further tests to see the extent of his injury but he would not travel to China for the club's Asian Champions League tie against Guangzhou Evergrande in midweek.
"Terry’s diagnosis and wellbeing is our immediate priority as a club,” said Victory CEO Trent Jacobs. "He will undertake scans later today and we will advise next steps from there. We are obviously hoping for the best possible outcome
“After speaking with Kevin and some players post-match, the general consensus was our group felt the SCG pitch was not up to standard due to the inconsistency in surface.
“As a code, we need to ensure our players are presented with safe working conditions.
“I’ve spoken to the FFA to seek clarification on the process undertaken last night and furthermore to review what pitch approvals look like moving forward, to attain reform. We also need to address how clubs reserve their rights on behalf of its players in the future.”
Watching @ALeague @SydneyFC vs @gomvfc on @btsportfootball Over the years the biggest rivals and most successful 2 teams in the league bringing in the big crowds paving the way in Oz and they get chucked on a cricket pitch 🤷🏻♂️ Fans 60 metres away state of pitch also?? Shambles
— Scott Mcdonald (@ScottyMcD83) April 6, 2019
Professional Footballers Australia also joined the outrage, saying players hadn't been involved in the decision-making process about the game going ahead under those conditions.
And CEO John Didluca added that it was symptomatic of the declining quality of A-League pitches this season, prompting a demand for a two-pronged plan of attack.
“Firstly, that FFA immediately commission an independent investigation into the process undertaken to approve last night’s match as being fit for play," he said.
“The Laws of the Game dictate this is fundamentally a decision for the referee. However, the increasing complexity of matchday operations makes it inconceivable that a referee would, or should, make such a decision in isolation of stakeholders.
“Secondly, endorse a motion that players will no longer play on surfaces unacceptably compromised by a cricket wicket.
“As demonstrated last night, cricket wickets present an unreasonable danger to the health and safety of footballers and it remains the view of the PFA that players are under no obligation to participate in matches when such risks are present. This includes the SCG.”
He added: "The thoughts of every A-League player are now with Terry Antonis in the hope that his worst fears are not realised.”
Football Coaches Australia President Phil Moss added: “Our code demands and deserves a top quality playing surface from a duty of care perspective first and foremost.
“But also, if we are to take the game to new levels of performance and entertainment for the fans, players and coaches must be afforded the right tools of the trade.
"Last night’s surface at the SCG was a fair way from delivering on that. Our players, coaches and fans deserve nothing less.”
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