The Football Association has accepted Jose Mourinho's criticism of the Wembley pitch during Chelsea's Community Shield loss to Arsenal as a "disaster."
The Blues boss was unhappy with the playing surface at the national stadium during Arsenal's 1-0 win on Sunday.
Mourinho said: "The pitch was a disaster. The pitch was so bad and so slow.
"The weather didn't help too. It was the same for both teams. Don't take it as an excuse."
The FA responded by saying the pitch was not as "mature" as would be ideal for the season curtain-raiser.
An FA spokesperson said: "We appreciate the feedback on playability and will continue to improve the quality of the pitch, which we have every confidence in as it matures.
"In this instance it is simply that the pitch is less mature than we would ordinarily wish for football, given the summer concert season and the early start to the football calendar."