Burst underground pipe 'culprit' in Hong Kong Stadium pitch farce

A burst underground pipe, and not heavy rain or an intense match schedule, was primarily at fault for the turf fiasco at the Hong Kong Stadium that threatened the Barclays Asia Trophy and Manchester United's exhibition game this summer.

Top Hong Kong Football Association officials said the international embarrassment caused by the poor surface had nothing to do with the schedule - five matches in five days - or bad weather, but the installation of pipes when the pitch was relaid in 1994.

"The true story is that a pipe from the underground sprinkling system had burst. Unfortunately, this was right under the centre circle and no one knew about it for a long time," said HKFA chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak.

"Every time they turned on the sprinklers, water was gushing out from the broken area saturating the ground underneath."

A source close to the subsequent investigation said the saturated aquifer under the pitch had resulted in algae growing on the surface due to it being "permanently wet", which suffocated the grass and prevented it from taking root and growing.

To make matters worse, a large area of the grass had died where the British Lions logo had been painted for the match against the Barbarians on June 1.