Ball bounces like a rabbit - Enrique on pitches

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Ball bounces like a rabbit - Enrique on pitches

Paris St-Germain beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 at Lumen Field

Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique has criticised the pitches at the Club World Cup and said the "ball bounced like a rabbit" during his sides win against the Seattle Sounders.

The match was played at Seattles Lumen Field, home of MLS side the Sounders and NFL team the Seattle Seahawks, with the stadiums artificial turf replaced with a temporary hybrid grass for the tournament.

The Spaniard says footballs world governing body Fifa needs to "bear in mind" the quality of both match and training pitches if it wants the Club World Cup to be "the most high-level competition in the world".

"I wouldnt imagine a NBA court full of holes," the 55-year-old said after his side won 2-0 to secure top spot in Group B in the tournament, which is being solely hosted in the United States.

"What I really care about is the state of the field of play, and I say this on the day weve won.

"The ball bounces almost like if it were jumping around like a rabbit."

Fifa say that the pitches used at the Club World Cup meet international testing standards and that they continue to monitor "key performance indicators" such as surface hardness and the roll of the ball on a consistent basis.

"Fifa always values direct feedback from players and coaches," a Fifa spokesperson told BBC Sport.

"In some cases, this has led to adaptive measures, such as pitch irrigation during cooling breaks being introduced for the first time under Fifa protocol to support optimal ball movement in warmer conditions."

PSG won the Champions League at the end of May with a dominant victory over Inter Milan in Munich to complete a European and domestic treble.

Luis Enrique said his team have had to adjust the way they play since their arrival in the US because of pitch conditions.

"Lumen Field is an example, it used to be artificial turf and now it is natural grass and they have to water it by hand - they did so at half-time but the field was dry again in 10 minutes," he added.

"For our game this a problem. Its very different to European pitches. The grass is different and therefore it is not so easy to have the same smoothness to play our style - but we did adapt well and were very happy."

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Jude Bellingham on Club World Cup pitches

There are fewer than 12 months before the Fifa World Cup takes place across Canada, Mexico and United States.

Real Madrids Jude Bellingham also criticised the pitches at the Club World Cup following his sides 3-1 win against Pachuca.

"The pitches arent great at all. It holds up the ball, the ball barely bounces," said the England midfielder.

"Its tough on the knees as well. Hopefully theres someone who will look at that going into the World Cup next year."

Five of the venues from this year - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, MetLife Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field and Lumen Field - will also host World Cup matches.

All five are used by NFL teams and usually have artificial turf but will have real grass installed in time for the World Cup in order to meet Fifa requirements.

The inaugural Club World Cup is not the first time the standard of pitches in the US has caused problems.

Players were critical of conditions at last summers Copa America, with Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saying the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was a "disaster" following a win over Canada.

Tournament organiser Conmebol defended the pitches, with director of competitions Fredirico Nantes saying "the grass in Atlanta posed absolutely no threat".

The stadium will host eight matches at the World Cup next summer, including one of the semi-finals.

The state of the pitches is the latest concern that has been raised at the Club World Cup.

There have been concerns about the weather throughout the competition, with extreme heat causing problems for the players.

Borussia Dortmund substitutes watched the first half of their win over Mamelodi Sundowns from the dressing room because of the temperature, with their manager Niko Kovac saying conditions were "like a sauna".

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has said his side have struggled to train in Philadelphia, as temperatures reached 37C.

BBC Sport has contacted Fifa for comment.



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