Dunga wary of Brazil injuries on sandy Singapore surface

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s sandy pitch heightens the risk of injuries and the lack of grass makes passing football difficult, Brazil coach Dunga said on Monday ahead of their friendly against Asian champions Japan.

The surface at the National Stadium, the centre piece of Singapore’s $1 billion Sports Hub complex, has been heavily criticised as ground staff struggle in the tropical climate amid the different demands of various concerts and sporting events.

Brazil trained on the patchy field for the first time on Monday, with sand kicking up when the ball bounced on it and as the players ran in a small game.

Juventus opted against risking some headline names when the Italian champions played a friendly on it in August with Dunga also wary about the safety of his multi-million dollar squad on a pitch the Football Association of Singapore said was “far short of expected international standards”.

“The Brazil team will always try to produce a good spectacle but to do that, you need good conditions,” Dunga told reporters on Monday.

“The field… raises the possibility of having injured players because there is a lot of sand and I hope the sand doesn’t create holes in the pitch during the match but its a risk we are going to have to take.

“Most of it is sand not grass and its a mixture of synthetic grass with natural grass but there is more synthetic than natural. It is going to be hard to pass the ball in such conditions.”