Agreement between Osmar Stabile and CBF delayed renovation of Corinthians' pitch

The report found that the commitment between the club and World Soccer, the company responsible for the stadium's pitch since 2014, for the complete replacement of the floor had been signed in February. The agreement was closed around two months before Corinthians agreed with the CBF to hold the match between the teams.

In a joint note with Neo Química Arena, World Soccer reported that the lawn replacement model adopted at the stadium requires eight weeks, or 56 days, to be completed. According to the report, this deadline was known to Corinthians since the beginning of the year, but it did not prevent the club from confirming the friendly with the CBF.

People linked to World Soccer claim that the friendly reduced the period available for the pitch to recover. The company now has around 40 days, which directly interferes with field conditions.

The schedule predicted that the changing of the pitch would begin in the days following the duel between Corinthians and Platense, for the Libertadores, played on May 27th. The friendly match, however, postponed the start of the process.

Sources linked to Corinthians claim that the agreement to host the friendly match was part of the rapprochement between president Osmar Stabile and CBF directors. A few days after the match, the Corinthians president and representatives of other Brazilian clubs traveled to the United States at the invitation of the organization to watch the Brazilian team's debut in the men's World Cup, against Morocco, on June 13.

In contact with the report, Corinthians reported that they received a forecast that the pitch would be in 90% of its ideal conditions for the game against Remo, on July 23rd, in 95% for the match against Athletico-PR, on July 30th, and fully recovered in the clash against Internacional, on Thursday (6).

Despite this projection, sources linked to the club claim that the internal assessment was different. The perception is that the pitch worsened between the games against Remo and Athletico-PR, which generated dissatisfaction behind the scenes, especially from coach Fernando Diniz and football executive Marcelo Paz.