Maradona played there. Now Sydney's iconic stadium may lose its World Cup qualifiers
Newly released documents reveal a schism between the game's governing body and Venues NSW about the use of the rebuilt stadium, which only reopened three years ago but has been plagued by turf and drainage issues.
Formerly known as the Sydney Football Stadium, Allianz has a long history of hosting major Socceroos and Matildas matches, among them the World Cup qualifier against Argentina in 1993 when Diego Maradona led the South American team to a first-leg draw before Australian hearts were broken in Buenos Aires.
But FA warned in an email after the Socceroos' World Cup Asian group stage qualifying game against Indonesia in March that its men's and women's national teams may abandon the 42,500-capacity ground if it could not be closed off in the two weeks before their matches.
'Moving forward, Football Australia would be hesitant to book Allianz Stadium for high-stakes international fixtures unless greater assurance is provided around pitch protection, turf preparation windows, and warm-up zone quality,' FA chief corporate affairs officer Peter Filopoulos wrote to Venues NSW general manager for event acquisition Stephen Saunders on March 26.
Filopoulos said players had reported the Allianz surface was 'the worst pitch they've played on in some time', describing it as well below international standard. He even suggested it cost the Socceroos winning by more than the 5-1 margin they did against Indonesia, 'which could be crucial given the tightness of our qualification group'.
FA chief executive James Johnson, who has since left the role, followed up with an email to Venues NSW chief Kerrie Mather on April 17, saying the conditions hadn't improved when the Matildas played at Allianz Stadium on April 4 and football authorities had 'significant concerns'.
Johnson told Mather the goal conceded by the Socceroos against Indonesia was 'directly influenced by an uneven bounce, undermining the integrity of play', while also reporting safety concerns from players' slippage, an 'unacceptable' strip of ready-to-play turf in a goalmouth, and below-standard warm-up areas.
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