Rabiot criticizes World Cup final pitch quality

France midfielder Adrien Rabiot voiced concerns about the quality of the pitch at the New York/New Jersey stadium (MetLife Stadium) following his team's 3-1 Group I win over Senegal on Tuesday. Rabiot, who provided an assist, told reporters that the surface felt more like an artificial pitch than a real one. "The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface – quite hard and quite rigid," he said.

France coach Didier Deschamps described the surface as "special" during a press conference. "I think there's probably concrete underneath, it's very short fibres," Deschamps noted, adding that the bounce was different from last year's FIFA Club World Cup also held at the same venue. "The bounce is a bit different," he said, stating that his side is adapting to the conditions.

Rabiot's criticism echoes that of Brazil forward Vinicius Jr, who earlier complained about the dryness of the pitch after Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco on Saturday, the first match played at the stadium. Vinicius said the heat caused the pitch to dry out quickly, making the game sluggish. The next match at the venue will be Senegal vs Norway on June 22.