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Celtic up in arms as Kilmarnock refuse pitch request
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at Rugby Park.
Hoops boss Ronny Deila wanted his troops to get a taste of what to expect as they prepare to visit Kilmarnock for the first time since their artificial surface was laid in the summer.
But the Parkhead club were stunned when Killie refused their request for an hour’s kickabout in the stadium late last week.
A Celtic source said: “We were shocked. It was a simple request to look at the new pitch before we played on it for the first time but it was made clear to us that wasn’t going to happen.
“In the interests of sporting fairness we felt it was a perfectly reasonable request to prepare the players as thoroughly as we can.
“So to refuse doesn’t make any sense to us.”
According to BBC Scotland, Killie were unavailable for comment but if you wanted to create an incentive for a visiting team then they have more than achieved that. What hasn't been made clear is whether they have allowed other sides to practice on the surface.
Earlier this season Hearts forked out to hire Alloa’s Indodrill Stadium so they could acclimatise to the synthetic surface ahead of a Championship game.
And Man City’s new training centre contains five different types of artificial pitch to prepare them for Euro opponents who don’t play on grass.
JB