Thursday 23 June 2016 19:51, UK
UEFA have been working through the night to improve the state of the pitches ahead of the Euro 2016 knock-out stages.
Less than an hour after the end of the Ireland v Italy game in Lille, UEFA's team of pitch consultants - led by Richard Hayden - began work to replace the playing surface ahead of Sunday's match at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium between Germany and Slovakia.
They have already stripped the old turf and started replacing it with a new surface which has been specially grown in the Netherlands.
Hayden and his team will then head for Marseille to carry out running repairs at the Stade Velodrome, ahead of a quarter-final match on June 30.
The UEFA team have been labelled mercenaries by some French turf specialists who have also accused them of ignoring their advice.
However, UEFA have backed their man, saying Hayden had overseen the management of 250 pitches in 41 countries, and they have full confidence in him and his team.
