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Focused on the grass Luzhniki stadium's turf subject of scrutiny for UEFA Cup
Posted: Tuesday May 11, 1999 12:21 PM
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, the venue for Wednesday's UEFA Cup final between Parma and Olympique Marseille, gets a five-star rating from officials but all eyes will be on how the pitch stands up at night. This home to many sporting events over more than 40 years may be a gem but Luzhniki has also been plagued by problems with its natural grass turf, which has been completely removed and relaid three times in the last 18 months. Preoccupied with the latest fashion designs in and around the stadium, workers forgot to pay close attention to the turf during reconstruction, which began in 1996. The pitch, which alone cost nearly $200,000, quickly deteriorated under the new indoor-like environment after the nearly-closed roof was built. It was virtually destroyed in just one game, a World Cup qualifier between Russia and Bulgaria played in pouring rain in October 1997. The Russians again had to spend close to $200,000 to resurface the grass last summer, just in time for another of ambitious mayor Yuri Luzhkov's pet projects -- the World Youth Games -- which opened amid huge fanfare last July. The grass was ruined yet again during the opening ceremony, forcing the hosts to spend a further $100,000 on it. This time the pitch held up a bit longer, for a total of five games until the end of last season. It is thus understandable that the hosts refused to gamble further on the tender grass and closed down the arena to any sporting event until this final. The French and Italian players will therefore earn the distinction of being the first to step on Luzhniki's turf this year. It will be the first major European cup final to be played on Russian soil. Built on a swamp on the outskirts of Moscow in late 1956, Luzhniki was the site of the 1980 Summer Olympics. But after four decades of service the stadium needed a major facelift to replace old wooden stands with plastic chairs, reducing the capacity from 103,000 to 83,000. Three years ago the city began the $200 million renovation project that was completed just in time to throw a gargantuan party to commemorate Moscow's 850th anniversary in 1997. A huge roof, which covers all of the stadium seats, marble stairs and bathrooms as well as a leather-seat press center equipped with a hi-tech sound system earned the arena a five-star UEFA rating last year. It also received high praise from FIFA president Sepp Blatter when he visited Luzhniki in January. "It's a wonderful stadium, probably one of the best in the world," he said. Now officials are praying the pitch will not let them down on Wednesday.
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