Philippe Clement hasn’t been shy with fielding his opinion ever since coming into Scottish football.
The Belgian manager has been outspoken on everything from the rough and tumble of the nation’s game to VAR.
One of Philippe Clement’s biggest Scottish footballing bugbears has revolved around the state of the nation’s surfaces and the Rangers manager has demanded change if the game is serious about progression.
And now, the Belgian’s prayers could be answered as the SPFL reveal that after a covert Hampden meeting, the Premiership’s 12 clubs are to vote on outlawing plastic pitches.
Rangers boss Clement outspoken on surfaces
Back in February, Philippe Clement was outspoken about the plastic pitch at Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park.
Branding the surface a ‘disadvantage’, the Rangers manager was clear that his team would have to alter their style of play to face Derek McInnes’ outfit.
There’s a suggestion that Scottish football will be condemned to that much-maligned hoof-it style so long as plastic pitches are allowed in the top flight.
It’s worth noting that prior to Clement’s complaints, Kilmarnock had announced plans to get rid of their plastic surface by 2025.
“You need to adapt to a totally different kind of football because of the pitch,” said Clement back in March. “It was not easy, but we did it before in Livingston and we need to do it again.
“It’s only one importance and that’s getting three points but it will be a totally different game than we normally play.”
Later asked about the challenge on the plastic pitch, Clement said: “There will be a lot of things (different). I made the comparison with a game of tennis.
“With playing at Wimbledon or playing on a clay court, it’s a little bit like that. Of course it’s different sports.
“The ball goes faster so you need to more precise. On a grass pitch when you give a pass it slows down after a while, on an artificial it keeps its speed or it goes even faster along the way. The ball bounces in a totally different way.
“If you give passes in the air or shots at goal you cannot go with your foot underneath the ball like you normally do on a grass pitch so you need to adapt your body towards that.
“Also the way of turning, the way of sprinting, the way of stopping is also different, so that’s a lot of things that are different.
“It is what it is. In the league, there’s a decision that for the moment it’s still possible to play on those surfaces. I don’t think in Premier League it’s still possible, or in La Liga or in the top leagues.
“I hear in Scotland everybody’s also convinced now it’s not the way to play football but we’re going to go there to get the three points. I said it before also, I don’t care if it’s on that pitch or in the parking lot that we need to play, we’re going to go there to get the three points.”
Later touching on the impact of injuries: “I cannot put Kemar Roofe in the selection again because of the surface.
“That’s a clear message from my medical staff, that it’s too risky after his injury and amount of injuries so in that way it’s a disadvantage to play on that kind of pitch.”
It’s not the only time Clement has been outspoken about the state of the surfaces either.
Following the Dundee fiasco, where Rangers twice travelled to St Andrews for a match at Dens Park only for the game to be called off, the Rangers manager has been clear about a lack of standards.
The situation proved an unwelcome distraction and Rangers actually went on to draw the rescheduled game 0-0 in the midst of a Premiership title collapse.
“I think it’s a very important thing for the future that a league thinks about how to raise the level of the pitches and put standards on that like they do on other things,” Clement said in March.
“They have standards with things like lighting, for example, to have a good broadcast of the game and to have a good product.
“Sure, the lights are really important. But even more important is the quality of the pitches, I think.”
Now, it looks like Philippe Clement could be about to get his wish.
SPFL announce vote on plastic pitches
In a statement released this week, the SPFL have confirmed that all 12 top clubs will vote on outlawing artificial surfaces from the 2026/27 season.
This will give those clubs who use plastic pitches in Scotland a two-year grace period to implement any coming changes.
Claiming that the vote will only need a nine to three majority, it’s a positive step in the right direction after years of complaints about the standard of Scottish football’s playing surfaces.
On top of the situation with the plastic, the SPFL statement also claims that they are to work with a leading pitch consultancy firm to improve grass surfaces across the board.
This comes after Dundee were heavily fined for that disastrous double call off against Rangers, the Dens Park surface deemed unsuitable a remarkable six times this season.
The statement reads:
“Clubs in the cinch Premiership have today brought forward a resolution seeking to phase out the use of artificial pitches in the SPFL top flight.
“The SPFL will now issue the resolution to all cinch Premiership clubs, and the outcome of that vote will be announced in due course. The resolution requires nine votes in favour to be passed.
“The SPFL Board has confirmed at a meeting today that if the resolution is approved, it will grant a two-year period to allow clubs with an artificial pitch to plan accordingly, with artificial pitches not permitted in the top division from season 2026/27. This period of grace is in line with recommendations of the SPFL Competitions Working Group, which represents member clubs across the SPFL.
“Separately, the SPFL Board has approved plans for a Premiership-wide project to work with a leading pitch consultancy firm, which is regularly used by UEFA, to improve the standards of grass pitches in the cinch Premiership.”
