The grass pitch at Ullevaal Stadium was in poor condition for the Norway vs. Switzerland friendly match, which ended 0-0. Players and experts criticized the pitch quality, saying it created uncertainty and affected play.
According to NRK Sport, Kristoffer Løkberg described the pitch as embarrassing and awkward for an important warm-up match. According to NRK Sport, Christian Finkbeiner called it a catastrophe and very bad, noting Swiss coaches joked about it. According to NRK, Erling Haaland said it was completely terrible and not good enough, apologizing to everyone.
It is both embarrassing and awkward to present such a pitch in a friendly match that for us and Switzerland is an important warm-up match for the World Cup.
According to Fotbollskanalen, Ståle Solbakken described it as unacceptable and said he apologized to the Swiss coach before the match. According to NRK, Ørjan Håskjold Nyland said the pitch was difficult and not fun to watch, forcing players to use multiple touches to control the ball. The Norwegian Football Association admits the pitch conditions were not good enough.
NFF says the poor pitch resulted from heavy use in autumn 2023 after the grass stopped growing, a cold winter, and a calculated risk to prioritize national team training for World Cup margins. According to NRK Sport, Karl-Petter Løken described the pitch as not good enough and said NFF would do a thorough review. NFF conducted 12 training sessions on Ullevaal in October and November 2023 after the grass stopped growing, according to multiple reports.
The pitch in Oslo is a catastrophe.
The pitch at Åråsen Stadium is in good condition and greener than Ullevaal's, according to multiple reports. UEFA and Slovenia are positive about moving the women's qualifier to Åråsen, the NFF said. The last match at Åråsen was on November 8, 2023, while Ullevaal had matches and training later into autumn, according to multiple reports.
NFF will conduct a thorough review of why the pitch became so poor, according to the association. According to NRK Sport, Kristoffer Løkberg questioned the calculated risk, saying if it was known, they should have played away matches. According to NRK, Kristoffer Løkberg also described the pitch as not good enough and suggested kidnapping Åråsen's groundskeeper.
It is a very bad pitch. I heard the Swiss assistant coach joke about it yesterday, and I think the team takes it with humor, it's not a big problem. But the pitch is obviously not good.
According to NRK, Johan Holth, pitch manager at LSK, described variations in pitch quality and said there are no secrets between groundskeepers. According to NRK, Sander Berge said it was disappointing and not their job to fix the pitch. According to NRK, Ørjan Håskjold Nyland said the pitch could have ruined chances and was a scandal.
The specific measures NFF will take to improve the Ullevaal pitch before upcoming events like the Women's Champions League final on May 23 and the Norway vs. Sweden match on June 1 remain unclear. The financial or logistical impact of the pitch issue on NFF's operations or reputation has not been disclosed.
The pitch is not good enough, there is no doubt about that. Unfortunately, that's how it turned out today, and then we will do a thorough review of why it became as poor as it did. We just have to admit defeat.
It is unknown what exact criteria were used to decide to move the women's qualifier, or at what point the decision was made. Whether there will be consequences or accountability for individuals or teams responsible for pitch maintenance is not specified. How the pitch condition compares to UEFA standards for international matches, and whether it could affect future hosting opportunities, has not been addressed.
I almost become even more provoked when they say they knew it was like this. And if it was a calculated risk, they should have played two away matches. To get something out of it.
It is not good enough what is served by the Ullevaal pitch. There is no reason why it should not look completely smooth. There is hardly any football played out here.
It is possible that we have to kidnap the groundskeeper (from Åråsen), because it is actually not good enough what is served by the Ullevaal pitch.
Those at Ullevaal are good colleagues of mine, and we are a small community. I don't want to contribute to this becoming a big deal out of this. Sometimes you have a good year, other times you don't. In 2024, the pitch at Åråsen was almost completely dead before the season start, but now we have three green pitches. It varies.
There is no point, because we talk together all the time, and there are no secrets between us. I think they have taught us more than we have taught them.
I said sorry to everyone, so this is simply not good enough.
I think it must have been the Faroe Islands, a couple of years ago when I got injured here. It was not as bad as today, today it was completely terrible.
I think Bryne Stadium is a bit better than this, so I am used to good grass pitches in Jæren.
Well, not completely ruined, but not far from it, of course, Switzerland with respect for them, they try to play, but you see that they make some mistakes that they wouldn't have made if the pitch had been good. So it is actually a bit positive for us that the pitch wasn't so good either so we manage to punish them, but it's not good. I said sorry to everyone, so this is simply not good enough. You simply have to talk to Lise, since she is the boss.
It is probably appropriate when the pitch is as it is. But we can't do anything about it - it's not our job to fix the pitch. We are here to play.
No, there was not much benefit. At least not if you compare it to the match we had against the Netherlands. Difficult pitch and that meant there wasn't much football out there.
Yes, it could have been. So fortunately it wasn't. It could have ruined our chances significantly, because then anything can happen. It is a scandal.
It should not look like that. When you play against a top 20-nation at home, the pitch should be better.
We took the challenge and it became a 0-0 match. Probably not very fun to watch, but that's how it becomes when you have to use two-three touches to get control of the ball.
I apologized to the Swiss coach (Murat Yakin) already before the match.
We cannot present such a pitch, it is unacceptable.