Wales face venue uncertainty for Nations League trip to Montenegro

August 26, 2024

The venue for Wales’ Nations League trip to Montenegro could be changed less than two weeks before the September 9 fixture because of the poor condition of the Podgorica National Stadium pitch.

UEFA inspectors visited the Podgorica pitch on Sunday and are understood to have serious concerns about the game going ahead in the capital.

Photographs show the pitch cratered in places with large areas of grass missing, and local club Buducnost had to switch their recent European Conference League qualifier to another venue.

Niksic’s City Stadium could now host the Wales fixture, with UEFA inspectors paying a visit to Montenegro’s second city on Monday.

But Niksic has never staged a senior international and there are concerns the 5,000-capacity stadium does not meet UEFA criteria for staging such matches.

UEFA is expected to announce on Tuesday where the match will be played.

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said: “We have been asking for a new pitch to be laid in Podgorica for several weeks.

“We will wait to see if that can happen in time, but we will learn on Tuesday where the game will be played.”

The change of venue will come as a headache for the FAW – whose officials made a site visit to Podgorica last week – and the 700 Wales fans, many of whom have already booked accommodation in the capital.

Niksic is around 53 kilometres from Podgorica, with the journey taking about an hour by bus or train.

It is understood UEFA will not pursue other possible alternatives to host the fixture.

These include playing the game on neutral territory in neighbouring Albania or reversing the fixture with Wales hosting next month’s meeting and Craig Bellamy’s side travelling to Montenegro in October.

Wales start their Nations League campaign on September 6, with Turkey’s visit to Cardiff the first game for new boss Bellamy.

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