Football
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England manager Roy Hodgson angry over NFL date at Wembley

England manager Roy Hodgson has hit out at his nation's Football Association for allowing an NFL game to take place just a few days before his team plays Slovenia.

For the third time this year, Wembley will host an American football game this Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars play the Dallas Cowboys. London is already acutely aware of the fixture -- advertising boards are peppered with promotional posters in the city centre and big team banners stretch across the walls down Wembley Way.

But the England manager is unhappy it is taking place because he feels it could ruin the grass just six days before England play Slovenia in their Euro 2016 qualifier.

After regular complaints by Hodgson's predecessor Fabio Capello, the FA laid a new 250,000 pound Desso pitch four years ago, and since then the surface has played relatively well.

Hodgson has noticed a deterioration recently though, and he thinks the pitch will not get any better with NFL players playing on it next weekend.

"I can't pretend that is something that makes me leap for joy," Hodgson said. "If I was asked if it was a good thing or not, I would have to say not.

"I don't really think you could expect me to say 'excellent, delighted, well done'. The pitch, unfortunately, is not in the best of nick anyway, which we're all a bit unhappy with."

Hodgson said ground staff will have to "work their socks off" to ensure the grass is in optimum condition by the time England kick-off against Slovenia.

The 67-year-old said he hoped Club England managing director Adrian Bevington would report to the FA board, who sanctioned the NFL's partnership with Wembley, and "find a good solution" that would prevent England from playing on an uneven surface because of the NFL games in the future.

But unfortunately for Hodgson, this is something he will have to get used to. Wembley and the NFL announced on Thursday there would be another three games at Wembley next year, one of which will take place on Oct. 4 -- just five days before England host Estonia in their last home qualifier.

Add in the fact that Wembley will host two Rugby World Cup games in September and there is plenty of potential for the pitch to take a hammering. But money talks, and Hodgson is aware the FA will receive plenty of it for hosting the matches -- which will help it pay back the cash it spent rebuilding Wembley.

"It is at a Club England level and Adrian Bevington and I pragmatically accept we have had these matches," Hodgson added. "It is a decision Wembley has made and I know the ground staff will work very, very hard to give us the best pitch they can give us.

"Hopefully in the future the pitch will recover to its normal level and when it has done that we will be better able to support this type of activity."

The FA has intimated in the past that it could be open to hosting an NFL franchise at Wembley after 2018. That may open the door for England to play their home matches away from Wembley in the build up to Euro 2020, as they did when the stadium was being rebuilt from 2001 to 2007.

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