Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk, who was a guest of Gençlerbirliği in the 8th week of the Trendyol Süper League, stated in his post-match comments that the pitch condition directly affects player performance and the risk of injury.
Buruk noted that they had drawn attention to the pitch before the match but that they needed to concentrate well on the game without using it as an excuse. The yellow-red manager stated that his team started the match well but gave the opponent too many chances in the final part of the first half and the beginning of the second half.
EMPHASIS ON PITCH AND INJURY
Okan Buruk expressed that the pitch also made it difficult to evaluate the players' performance, saying, “It is a very bad pitch, okay. Is it right or wrong to judge performances on this pitch? We can discuss that. Because there are too many poor performances.”
Reminding that Galatasaray will play a match in Europe in three days, Buruk said that the pitch increases the risk of injury. The experienced manager stated, “We had an injury because of the pitch. Currently, the TFF is not in a position to inspect the fields, but it needs to be done.”
Drawing attention to Rafael Leao’s situation, Buruk said, “We have a Champions League match in 3 days, but we lost Leao because of the pitch. It was a pitch with a very high risk of injury.”
Reiterating his call for inspection to the TFF, Buruk stated that whether or not matches should be played on such pitches should be discussed. The Galatasaray manager concluded his statement by saying, “The TFF needs to inspect these fields. Because that is their job.”
News Source: 12punto
