Anderlecht deals with bad turf: Is it also working with the company Vertonghen invested in? | sports

Anderlecht will invest additional funds to restore the turf at Lotto Park. Starting next week, Purple and White will rent additional heat lamps to help the grass grow faster. Anderlecht have their own lamp power that can cover a third of the pitch. From December 28, additional lamp capacity will be provided, allowing half the stadium to be illuminated. Anything else would be meaningless, and lighting the entire field 24/24 would have a detrimental effect.

A new grass is also being planted that can grow from a temperature of 6 degrees. The combination of the additional lamp capacity and field heating should speed up the growth of grass blades. Anderlecht will play at home twice more, on Saturday against Racing Genk and next Wednesday against Cercle Brugge. They then have exactly one month for intensive field work. Their next home game in the new year will be against Union on January 27.

If this treatment does not have the desired effect, for example due to extreme freezing temperatures or heavy rainfall, Anderlecht still have to plant new grass as an alternative. Currently, this is only seen as a last resort. Because Anderlecht has a hybrid turf – part natural grass, part synthetic fibres – this will only be an expensive temporary measure. One is worth €300,000 to be exact.

In recent weeks, Anderlecht have sought advice from various places. For example, people involved in the construction of the stadiums of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain came to inspect the carpet at Lotto Park. Anderlecht are also currently in discussions with Raw Stadia, a sports technology company that collects data through measurements and software to improve turf quality. Very eye-catching: Captain Jan Vertonghen is one of the investors there. He participated in the company’s latest capital round, which amounted to 1.5 million euros.