‘Disgrace’: Women’s Champions League Ripped After Mess in Madrid

European women’s soccer is erupting in debates over poor field quality at some of its recent matches.

On Tuesday, Real Madrid beat Arsenal 2–0 in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal at the 6,000-capacity Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, the home of Real Madrid’s men’s reserve and women’s teams. The senior men’s team plays at the legendary Bernabéu stadium, which can fit over 70,000 more fans.

The pitch was wet and muddy, and worsened over the course of the match Tuesday. Arsenal men’s team legend Ian Wright took to social media: “This is a fucking disgrace, the pitches these girls have to play on.”

“Of course, weather is not within control, but I think we’ve seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions haven’t been great and I think that’s the next step for women’s football to take,” Arsenal coach Renee Slegers said.

Wright said the pitch was worse than Saturday’s Women’s League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City, which has also been heavily criticized. The pitch at Derby County’s Pride Park was called out for being worn out with bare patches and sandy areas. Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert said she didn’t “think the surface was fit for a final,” and Manchester City interim coach Nick Cushing said he “obviously would like the pitch to be a little bit better, but it is what it is.”

“I’m not sure if it was a men’s final game it would be the same,” said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor. “We just need to make sure we have the best facilities and grass to play the games.”

Some in women’s soccer took the poor playing conditions a step further and blamed a larger problem in the sport.

The Pro Footballers’ Association, a major players’ union, put out a statement Wednesday morning.

“Pitches like this don’t just impact the quality of the game, they put player safety at risk,” the statement said. “On multiple occasions over the past few days, in important ties, our members have been asked to play in sub-standard conditions.”

At the International Sports Convention in London on Wednesday, a panel focused on women’s sports discussed the match from the night before. Hannah Brown, the co-CEO of women’s sport at DAZN, called attention to the poor pitch conditions—and low attendance.

Only 3,102 people attended the match, slightly under the average for last year’s Women’s Champions League.

NWSL executive Sarah Gregorius called the field “dangerous” and said it was clear organizers didn’t put in enough care for the women. She also criticized UEFA for not promoting the key end-of-tournament matches enough to make fans aware of the games.

“If I was a player I’d use my platform to call it out,” Gregorius said. “Why should I invest in a club or league that isn’t investing in me?”

Spokespeople for UEFA and Real Madrid did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

—Dan Roberts contributed reporting