Rostov pitch banned by Russian Premier League

(Reuters) – FC Rostov have been banned from hosting league games at the Olimp-2 Stadium due to poor pitch conditions, less than a week after Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho complained about the playing surface.

United drew 1-1 against the Russian side in their Europa League last-16 first-leg tie last Thursday after UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, had deemed the pitch playable.

“The ban is imposed until the identified shortcomings are eliminated and the fields are brought into line with the established requirements of the regulatory documents,” the RFPL said on Wednesday.

Mourinho had been critical of the pitch and was unhappy with the hard and patchy playing surface being used for the game.

“It’s hard for me to believe we are going to play on that field, if you can call it a field,” Mourinho had said prior to the draw.

“I just had a quick contact with one gentleman from UEFA when I was looking at the pitch And when I told him about my concerns, the gentleman told me the players are insured — if something happens, no problem.”

The Russian Premier League told the BBC that Rostov would have their pitch inspected again on March 24, with their next home game on March 31 against FC Krasnodar.

United and Rostov play the second leg of their Europa League clash at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Rubin Kazan’s Central Stadium has also been banned by the Russian Premier League.

(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Gareth Jones)