Women's World Cup pitches slammed as 'danger to welfare' after Walsh injury

28 July 2023 , 10:49

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England's Keira Walsh is carried off on a stretcher after picking up an injury as England manager Sarina Wiegman looks on during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, Group D match at the Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park, Australia. Picture date: Friday July 28, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story WORLDCUP England. Photo credit should read: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

The state of the pitches at the Women's World Cup has come under heavy fire after Lionesses star Keira Walsh suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury during England's 1-0 win over Denmark.

The 26-year-old seemingly twisted her knee after getting her boot stuck in the turf while intercepting a Danish counter attack shortly after the hour mark at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

Walsh immediately looked to be in serious distress, motioning to the bench and mouthing: "I have done my knee". She was eventually taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Laura Coombs.

The Barcelona midfielder is the latest high-profile star to join a concerning slew of knee injuries in the women's game. England were already without captain Leah Williamson and last summer's Golden Boot winner Beth Mead due to respective ACL injuries, while Netherlands star Vivianne Miedema, Canada's Janine Beckie and the USA's Cat Macario also comprise the list of absentees due to ACL issues.

And Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall, whose team was ravaged by ACL injuries last season in the WSL, has laid some of the blame for Walsh's injury on the inadequate state of the pitch in Australia.

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“I think it looks very dry,” said Eidevall. “You could see on the movement that when she [Walsh] tries to slide with her right foot, it stops and then twists her knee.

“It looks funny but it's a danger to player welfare to have such a dry pitch. It should allow you to slide through. It's not good enough.

“I'm a big advocate of watering the pitches, it makes the passes go faster but it also prevents situations like this. It’s these stopping mechanisms that a lot of the time cause these serious injuries.”

Keira Walsh on crutches after going down injured and stretchered off against Denmark at Sydney Football Stadium (Getty Images)

An early harbinger of the pitch's dryness arrived as goalscorer Lauren James attempted a celebratory knee-slide, only to find herself forced into a face-plant into the grass.

Walsh's injury represents a potentially major blow for England's World Cup ambitions, with the inimitable dictation and composure from the centre of the park often providing the heartbeat of the Lionesses' midfield.

"This is the position that England didn't want to do any changes on," Eidevall said on BBC One. "England cannot play with one six anymore. What Keira can do alone, no other player in this squad can do."

Eidevall is not the only person to slam the standard of facilities afforded teams at this summer's Women's World Cup. Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker accused FIFA and the Women's World Cup of being 'amateurs' after a cricket pitch had yet to be removed from the team's training field ahead of their group stage opener against Portugal last week.

Megan Feringa