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- Reece James has torn into the quality of pitches at the Club World Cup in the US
- The Chelsea captain argued the ‘difficult’ conditions are harder than in Europe
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Reece James has gone in two-footed on the Club World Cup‘s pitches, suggesting FIFA should be making sure the turfs in the United States are more suitable for football matches.
The Chelsea captain’s warning comes a year before the World Cup is held here, with the 25-year-old right back telling us how the ball is not bouncing properly and players are feeling leggier than usual.
Enzo Maresca’s side played on their most challenging pitch in Charlotte against Benfica – a win which also took nearly five hours to complete as it was suspended due to lightning.
They are now in Philadelphia to face Palmeiras in the Club World Cup’s quarter-finals, and James said: ‘It’s difficult pitches, a difficult climate. The ball goes 100 feet in the air and it bounces one metre up. It’s not what we’re used to.
‘I feel you get a lot leggier quicker, playing on pitches that are not so good. It’s not just for us, it’s for everyone involved in the competition. For the fans, for the people watching, it would be better quality if the pitches were more acclimatised for us.
‘It’s obviously difficult, playing in the conditions, the climate, on pitches that are not as good as pitches in Europe. No one is used to this heat. We travel so often. Everywhere is two hours minimum on a plane. It’s quite unusual to us.
Reece James has spoken out against the standard of pitches at the Club World Cup in the US
The Chelsea captain complained that the ball bounces irregularly and players get tired quicker
James argued that games would be of a higher quality if the pitches were to be improved
‘But I’m happy to be coping pretty well so far. I’m feeling good.’
FIFA said when asked for a response that ‘the playability characteristics of the pitches used at the Club World Cup remain within the optimal range set by international testing standards’. They added: ‘FIFA continues to monitor key performance indicators such as surface hardness, traction, and ball roll.’
The pitches in the United States were relaid before the Club World Cup began so that the competing sides weren’t performing on fake turfs. FIFA believe next summer’s World Cup will be better as they will receive the stadium handovers earlier than they did for this tournament.
Romeo Lavia – a player with a history of muscular issues – picked up another problem in Chelsea’s last win over Benfica and has not trained since.
‘It (the Benfica game) was a draining experience,’ James said. ‘It was a long day. The game took like four or five hours, something ridiculous. I don’t think anyone will experience that again in their career. I’d like to think we have recovered and we will be ready to go (for Palmeiras).
‘It was probably a bad thing for us and a good for them (Benfica). Because they go in the dressing room and reset. They know they have 10 minutes to chuck everything at it.
‘For us, we’re at the other end of the spectrum. We gave away a penalty, it goes to extra time and then the whole dynamic changes. It’s not the most enjoyable experience.’
