Gdansk (Poland): Spain was considering filing an official protest to UEFA over the state of the pitch at Gdansk's PGE Arena after Italy's refusal to consent to extra watering left it dry for their opening European Championship game.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque as well as players Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas all complained about the turf following Sunday's 1-1 Group C draw, which affected the defending champions' passing game.
"We need two teams to agree for the watering. There was no consent from the Italians," Polish football federation president Grzegorz Lato said Monday, when Spain was expected to decide whether to press ahead with its complaint.
Spain's bid may come too late, however, as UEFA rules say any protests lodged during the tournament "must be presented in writing ... within a maximum of 12 hours of the end of the match." Otherwise, captain Iker Casillas would have had to make an official protest in the presence of Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon during the match....
more
08:23 PM, Jun 11, 2012
