Arsenal boss Renee Slegers fears more players will be injured if matches continue to be played on substandard pitches.
The Gunners’ 2-0 Champions League defeat at Real Madrid on Tuesday night took place on a rain-sodden surface which was labelled a “disgrace” by former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
It was held at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, the 6,000-seater home of Real’s reserves, while Arsenal are guaranteed a better pitch when they host Liverpool in the WSL at the Emirates Stadium, live on Sky Sports this Saturday, as well as the return leg with Real next Wednesday.
“Of course we like to play on a good surface, I think every team does. It makes football a bit more easy,” said Slegers.
“I think women’s football deserves to play on good surfaces. Not least because of player injury risks.”
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Beth Mead criticised the state of Real Madrid’s pitch for the Champions League quarter-final win over Arsenal, insisting the women’s game still has a ‘long way to go’ and that the same situation would never happen at that level in the men’s game
The conditions appeared to have caused a nasty injury to Real’s Melanie Leupolz, who caught her studs in the mud while playing a pass, with the Germany midfielder departing the field in tears.
Real later confirmed the former Chelsea player had suffered a torn lateral ligament and will be sidelined for two months.
“That’s not for me to assess and that would be a hard call for anyone to make, why that happened,” said Slegers.
“But there was an injury on the pitch and, yeah, we want good pitches, for player health.”
Real Madrid’s Signe Bruun during the Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg
There was also criticism of the playing surface at Derby’s Pride Park, which hosted Sunday’s League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City, and which Blues midfielder Erin Cuthbert said was “not fit for a final”.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s WSL rematch with City, Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said: “I think that’s just not acceptable to be able to play on bad pitches, first of all because of the quality, but also, and maybe mainly, because of the safety of the players.
“I think this is something we really now need to take into account, being in 2025, we are in the modern world where in the women’s game we should have the best pitches possible.
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Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says that her first trophy as Chelsea manager ‘feels great’.
“It’s never easy to talk about other clubs, but when they have a such a good team in the men’s side and a good stadium, I think they should take some responsibility for having the women’s team play in the big stadium in Madrid.
“UEFA should take some decisions and they should impose to the clubs to be able to have another pitch, especially when it’s an international break for the men’s side and the big stadium is available.
“I know it costs money, for sure, but if you want to help women’s football, you need to make those decisions.”
Saturday’s other WSL fixture sees rock-bottom Crystal Palace, who won only their second game of the season against Aston Villa last weekend, travel to eighth-placed Everton.
“They were probably thrown a lifeboat last weekend,” said Toffees boss Brian Sorensen.
“They know if they can go on and do the same tomorrow, they will be in a good place for the last five games of the season.”
