Friday’s UEFA Nations League match between Lithuania and Cyprus will be played at the Marijampolė Stadium, as the turf in the original venue in Kaunas was found unsatisfactory, reports the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF).
According to the LFF, a delegation of the Cypriot national team landed in Kaunas on Wednesday evening, visited the stadium and, after seeing the situation, demanded that the game be moved to another stadium.
The alternative venue was found in Marijampolė, a town in the south-west of Lithuania.
The turf in the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas was damaged during the multiple music concerts that were hosted here over the summer.
“It is a shame and a disappointment. It is hard to understand that back in March, our ideas and indications to the stadium manager about the condition of the stadium and the possible consequences were not heard and now we have this situation,” said LFF President Edgaras Stankevičius.
“The beginning of the cycle has been marked by a dark spot, and now it is not the financial losses that are important to talk about, but the failure of the stadium operator to properly manage the situation in terms of the maintenance of the stadium and the damage to our fans and to football,” he added.
The match time remains unchanged, it will kick off at 19:00 on Friday. Ticket holders will be reimbursed, while admission to the game in Marijampolė will be free.
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