Larissa pitch to be replaced following AEK debacle
It has been confirmed that the pitch at the AEL FC Arena will be replaced following the controversial Super League match between Larissa and AEK.
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The game at the AEL FC Arena on Saturday evening was a disgrace to football. With the pitch barely resembling a football field, players of both AEL and AEK struggled to stay on their feet during the 90 minutes as the ball clumsily bobbled across the tufts. As a result, the two teams resorted to long, high passes rather than keeping the ball on the ground. Few chances were witnessed as AEL and AEK battled to a gritty 0-0 draw in a match which will be remembered for the wrong reasons:
“Was this a football match?,” said angry AEK midfielder Francisco Geraldes when speaking to Nova Sports after the game ended. “We had a ball and two goals, but you cannot consider this to be a game of football. Larissa have shown that they are a very small club with this mentality. This was not a match for me. Greece became European champions in 2004, but now we have pitches like this. These things should improve every year. I have been told that the pitch here is always like this. Matches should not be played here, this was not a game.”
These images show how the pitch in Larissa has worsened since the start of the season when AEL hosted Olympiacos:
Fiery AEL supremo Alexis Kougias, who is hugely unpopular among the majority of the club’s fan base, stated that the AEL FC Arena has been a “catastrophe” for the club in all respects. Kougias has mentioned the possibility of reconstructing the Alcazar Arena located in the centre of Larissa.
In the wake of the game against AEK at the weekend, Kougias subsequently confirmed that the pitch at the AEL FC Arena will be replaced for future matches. AEL are next set to play at home in the Super League on November 3 against OFI.
