The markers on a sports pitch are often forgotten yet they are arguably the most important part. In this article we will look at three times the paint on a sports pitch has gone wrong.
Arena Da Amazonia 
Covering up mistakes with a lick of paint is very common in the home. Covering up a worn soccer pitch by painting it green is something else and this is what happened during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. London newspaper the Metro stated that the pitch was in a bad condition before England and Italy were due to play at the Manaus stadium.
In an effort to make it look greener and healthier, ground staff decided to spray green paint over the more worn parts. The Metro wrote that while FIFA refused to confirm whether the pitch had been repainted they did inform that it had ‘undergone treatment’. The game went ahead despite concerns that the painting hadn’t managed to hide the condition of the pitch. The game ended with Italy beating England 2-1.
Wembley Stadium 
Wembley Stadium is considered one of the best stadiums in the world to watch live sport. In recent years the stadium has been used for a variety of reasons other than football such as hosting National Football League (NFL) matches every year. This requires the pitch to be repainted from the plain white soccer lines to the colourful NFL pitch markings.
On the NFL match night the pitch is completely transformed. The Guardian reports that the England soccer team in 2014 had to play a qualifier almost immediately after the NFL match and had to play on a pitch covered in NFL markings. According to the paper, the distracting markings were the least of England’s problems as the pitch was heavily cut up from the NFL players.
NFL games are still played at Wembley but greater care is made to ensure that a repeat of that mistake isn’t made. According to Premier League news and betting site Betfair, the latest game to be played there will be England against Scotland in a World Cup Qualifying game. While the contest is expected to he highly charged the pitch will be perfect for the encounter.
Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium 
While the NFL markings on the pitch at Wembley may have been distracting, a pre-season Hall of Fame match in Canton, Ohio was cancelled because of the wrong paint. The paint at the midfield and end zones was congealing making it too slippery for players to safely compete on.
The NFL official news feed stated that while the ground staff did their best to try and rectify the situation NFL Hall of Fame President David Baker ultimately called the game off. He told the NFL that, “if we don’t have that integrity to respect our players and respect their safety, then we shouldn’t be doing this job.” While many fans were disappointed they received a full refund and ESPN informed that both teams remained at the stadium to hold a fan event.
