Yahoo Sports Alderweireld furious with Anderlecht pitch in Croky Cup defeat: “And we keep wondering why no one watches the Belgian competition”
Toby Alderweireld was disgusted with the state of Anderlecht’s pitch as his Royal Antwerp side were defeated 1-0 by the Purple & Whites in the Croky Cup.
The former Ajax, Tottenham Hotspur and Atlético Madrid defender was visibly frustrated with conditions. There were sods of grass and tufts all over the place, while some areas were covered with sand. This was reportedly due to an error, pertaining to the excessive salt content in the soil layer.
This winter, Anderlecht had 300,000 euros worth of restoration work carried out, but seemingly to little effect. Another 700,000 euros will reportedly be invested next summer.
Following defeat in Brussels, captain Alderweireld fumed to Sporza:
“You can deny it, but playing on a pitch like that for two weeks in a row… that’s not possible. And we keep wondering why no one watches the Belgian competition. You can’t play normal football on this.”
“Especially as a defender you are constantly trying not to slip. Sometimes I tripped over a pile of sand. Unprecedented. Of course you don’t want to blame the pitch alone, but we are a football team.”
The return leg between Anderlecht and Antwerp takes place in early February.
