UEFA and France are fighting a turf war over the state of the playing surfaces at Euro 2016.
A bout of unseasonable wet weather combined with a busy schedule due to the bumper 24-team format for the tournament have tested groundsmen.
The pitches in Marseille, Saint Denis and Lille in particular have been cutting up during games.
And tournament director Martin Kallen rapped: “The pitches should be better and we’re not happy.
“We have taken measures to preserve pitches but in a summer tournament you don’t expect it to rain so much.”
Northern France suffered severe flooding in the run-up to the tournament and heavy rain has continued
during the group stage.
Last night’s clash between Northern Ireland and Ukraine was temporarily halted due to a hail storm.
That’s the power of Highway to Hell
Didier Deschamps
France coach Didier Deschamps singled out Marseille and blasted the holding of an AC/DC concert at the Stade Velodrome a few weeks before the tournament.
After the win over Albania, he said: “It doesn’t help build your play and leads to a lot of technical errors.
“Honestly when I saw the photos and videos at the end of the concert, I thought I was in another world, but that’s the power of Highway to Hell.”
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Uefa today cancelled Iceland and Hungary’s training sessions at the stadium ahead of Saturday’s game.
Modern structures often limit natural light and wind, meaning pitches get moist and can cut up too easily.
Kallen added: “Pitches are a major issue in modern stadiums because they are multi-functional arenas.”
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