Soccer Football - Serie A - Empoli v Monza - Stadio Carlo Castellani, Empoli, Italy - August 17, 2024 Empoli's Ola Solbakken in action with Monza's Roberto Gagliardini. Serie A club Empoli apologised on Sunday for the condition of the pitch at Stadio Carlo Castellani during their season opener on Saturday. REUTERS/Matteo Papini
(Reuters) - Serie A club Empoli apologised on Sunday for the poor state of the pitch at their Stadio Carlo Castellani during Saturday's season-opener against Monza.
The two sides played out a 0-0 draw but the appalling state of the grass stole most of the attention, with brown, uneven patches visible all over the pitch and one Italian newspaper describing it as "scandalous".
As the match progressed, large chunks of the pitch were torn up, leaving patches of bare earth and destroying much of the green grass.
The Tuscany club said that due to high activity between the seasons, it had been impossible to give the turf the treatment it needed in time for Saturday.
"While apologising once again, we are certain that for the next home match against Juventus (on Sept. 15) the pitch will once again be in perfect condition," Empoli said in a statement.
Newspaper Tuttosport called the pitch scandalous in a headline, adding that images of it "have gone around the world, leaving on the web a terrible calling card for our football".
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen; editing by Clare Fallon)
