Ester Roa pitch raises alarm three days before Huachipato vs Colo Colo

Just two days remain before Huachipato hosts Colo Colo, and once again the headline has nothing to do with the standings or the opposing goal: it's the playing surface at Estadio Ester Roa Rebolledo that has everyone on edge. Eric Tilleria, the venue's administrator, tried to calm things down, but ended up confirming what many had already suspected just from watching the TV broadcasts.

Speaking with Radio ADN, Tilleria first tried to play down the controversy, saying "compared to last week, the pitch is less bad than what people saw on television." Still, he admitted the problem has been building for a while and caught no one off guard. "The conditions are complicated, and we made that clear last year to the professional clubs that use the field," he explained.

So why wasn't it fixed sooner? That's the most uncomfortable part of the story. Tilleria revealed there had been a plan to replace the turf at the start of this year, but it was put on hold at the request of the local soccer community itself. "The project called for replacing the turf at the beginning of this year. We were asked to postpone it after Deportes Concepción and Universidad de Concepción were promoted. So really, this is something we saw coming," he detailed.

A blunt assessment

Far from hiding the problem, Tilleria went straight to describing the real state of the surface, battered by rain and the constant use of several teams in just a few weeks.

"The pitch is in bad shape, it's very difficult, and in our technical opinion it's not fit for professional soccer, but we're not the ones in charge of that decision"Eric Tilleria

That statement makes the venue's position clear: the call on whether to suspend or go ahead with a match doesn't rest with the stadium's administration, but with the referee and the ANFP. Along those lines, Tilleria stressed that despite the conditions, the goal is to stick to the schedule. "We're making ourselves available, always with the intention of helping the local clubs. The pitch is available, the stadium is available. If the referee and the ANFP allow it, the match will be played today (Deportes Concepción vs Audax Italiano) as well as on Sunday," he added, referring to the earlier match that would also serve as another test for the turf ahead of the clash between Huachipato and Colo Colo.

In fact, he explained that after that match there will be a specific inspection of the field to gauge how it holds up before the weekend. The long-term fix, however, will have to wait until the tournament wraps up. "You don't have to be an expert to see the situation we're dealing with right now at Ester Roa. We're waiting for the tournament to end so that early next year we can replace this turf and get the Estadio Ester Roa back to the level it has always had," Tilleria concluded.

In the meantime, the match between Huachipato and Colo Colo remains on, with everyone waiting to see if the pitch can hold up for one more weekend.