Deschamps blasts Velodrome pitch

Didier Deschamps took a swipe at the pitch at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday, describing it as a “disaster”.

Several players lost their footing during France’s 2-0 win over Albania, with victory secured through late goals from Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet.

Afterwards, former Marseille player and coach Deschamps said: “It’s a disaster but that’s not surprising. If you have an AC/DC concert a month before the European Championship and you are re-laying another turf…

“We saw that in the opening game here [between England and Russia], the pitch is no good.

“I know UEFA are doing their best to rectify it but when I saw pictures of the pitch I thought ‘oh my days’.”

Australian rock band AC/DC played the Velodrome on May 13 as part of their current world tour.