Having completed their check of all the 10 Japanese venues for the 2002 World Cup, the FIFA inspection team on Thursday expressed their overall satisfaction with the preparations in Japan but also commented on the poor condition of the pitch at Saitama Stadium and the problems with traffic control around the area following Wednesday's visit to the World Cup venue.
The four-member delegation, headed by a FIFA vice president Antonio Matarrese, visited the Sapporo Dome, Big Eye Oita Stadium, Kobe Wing Stadium and Saitama Stadium 2002 in the last four days.
"The World Cup can begin here tomorrow," said Matarrese. "(To build) 10 stadium was a dream three or four years ago but now you have ten magnificent stadiums. These stadiums are really the dreams-come-true for players, spectators and all Japanese people. FIFA is very proud of your achievement."
But World Cup coordination director Peter Velappan noted, "The only negative points were the condition of the pitch and trouble with traffic control. These were not satisfactory."
Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni complained that the pitch was too soft after his team's 1-1 draw against Japan at the brand new Saitama Stadium. The grass had not settled well and kept producing divots during the game. The Italian team also experienced problems with transport from their hotel to the stadium and arrived at the stadium only a few minutes before the team's warm-up session.