UEFA has decided that it will replace the pitch at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille Métropole immediately after the Group E match between Italy and the Republic of Ireland on 22 June.
The extremely difficult weather conditions in the past few weeks (rain, humidity, lack of sunshine) have caused irreversible damage to the surface at the stadium, in spite of a series of measures (a ban on pre-match training on the pitch, use of fertilisers, seeding, mowing, light therapy and drying) put in place to allow the playing surface to recover.
The new pitch will be transported from the Netherlands and its installation w…