Less than six hours before the scheduled kick-off of the first Manchester derby of the José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola era earlier this week, the game was cancelled due to the shocking condition of the pitch.
Thousands of fans that had made their way to Beijing to watch the game at the famous Bird’s Nest stadium were left frustrated by a situation that also capped a chaotic week for both clubs – particularly United following a range of other troubles involving flights, press conferences and training.
It was also a terrible situation for Relevant Sports, the company who organized the International Champions Cup tournament, and their Chinese partner LETV.
All parties had been tracking the pitch condition to make sure it was playable in a very humid weather. And while the fans’ anger was mostly directed at LETV and Relevant Sports, let’s not forget the fact that both Manchester United and Manchester City had sent their head groundsmen to the venue 15 days earlier to help to maintain a pitch that had been largely affected by rain and fungus.
Chinese media quickly raised questions about the match after inspecting the pitch, while both managers were expressed considerable concern about players picking up injuries during the game. In the end, the match was deemed unplayable — creating a nightmare for all involved.
The Bird’s Nest’s unplayable pitch
As the main venue of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Bird’s Nest has long been a symbol of Chinese sport and an iconic piece of architecture in the capital city. But maintaining the Olympic legacy has never been easy. Every year, Bird’s Nest Stadium hosts a number of gigs to break even and has a history of holding international friendlies including Manchester City v Arsenal in 2012 and Argentina v Brazil in 2014. But the pitch wasn’t ideal even before the rain set in recently, turning what should have been a massive event into a disaster.
It also means that two of England’s biggest clubs have had far from ideal preparations just three weeks out from the start of the new Premier League season. No doubt Mourinho and Guardiola would have opted out if they had the choice rather than travel halfway across the world in pursuit of lucrative Chinese money.
After all, the cooler and dryer climate in Europe is always the preferred option for football managers. Will they pay the price come the start of the season?
