FEARS that Celtic’s Champions League clash with Qarabag FK in Azerbaijan is under threat because of the poor state of the pitch have been rubbished – by the Scot in charge of maintaining the surface.

The man, who wants to be known as a Scottish ground consultant, has worked tirelessly over the past five weeks to prepare the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium for the visit of Ronny Deila’s side on Wednesday.

Baku, the capital where Qarabag play their home matches, is experiencing an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures reaching an incredible 131 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a worry for Celtic’s players and does not do much for growing and maintaining a grassy football pitch.

Local media in Baku have reported that over 30 per cent of the pitch is completely unplayable, some other sections of the pitch are uneven and the company that maintain the pitch have admitted it has no chance of recovering in time for Celtic's visit.

However, the man in charge of the surface, exclusively speaking to SportTimes, has hit back at these claims and insisted the game would go ahead.

He said: “Qarabag are panicking and have put out stories in the local press which suggest that I am sabotaging the pitch because I am Scottish. It is a nonsense.

“I have been here five weeks and the job has been a real poisoned chalice. I was dropped right in the deep end.

"The pitch was bad because there was no time to work on it after the European Championship games and we have worked very hard to get it right.

“Aesthetically speaking, it does not look good. When I got here it was dangerous and that is no longer the case.

"It is firm, but I would say it is covered by 70 per cent grass. I would rate it as a first or second division pitch back home towards the end of the season.

“It certainly comes under the Uefa regulations. I get the feeling I will be blamed whoever goes out. If it wasn’t for me there wouldn’t be a pitch.”

The Scot, who is an expert in his field, described having to undertake “open heart surgery” on the surface just to get it where it is right now.

It has been reseeded and is in the best condition it could possibly be given how bad it was just a few months ago.

One of the problems was feeding the grass. The water wasn’t getting through to the roots because the pitch has been laid more or less on clay.

He said: “If we watered the pitch, the water would just sit there. If we didn’t water it, the grass would dry out.

"It was a real catch-22 situation. We were killing the pitch if we fed it and if we did not.”

There was also a disease in one corner, which has now been successfully treated, but the conditions in Baku make it impossible to produce anything like the surfaces of a bigger clubs.

The Scot said: “It gets freezing here, about minus-15 and then you have now when even in the shade you just won’t believe how hot it is. It’s the wrong time and the wrong temperatures. They go from one extreme to the other.

“The people here expect the pitch to be like when they watch Manchester United on television and it’s just not possible. They don’t understand the science involved.”

A spokesperson for Celtic acknowledged concern about the uncertainty. “We are aware of the issue as regards the pitch in Baku. At the moment, we are seeking reassurances over the quality of the surface.”

Qarabag have already looked at moving the game to Baku's Bakcell Arena stadium, but cannot because fellow Azerbaijani club Qabala play a Europa League tie there the following night against Apollon Limassol and Uefa insist clubs must train in the same stadium 24 hours before the match. Added to Qarabag's dilemma is the fact they started to sell their 30,000 tickets for the game at the weekend and would face a logistical nightmare trying to move the tie.

 

Over 10,000 tickets had been sold for the game by lunchtime yesterday, according to local reports. The capacity of the stadium is more than 30,000.

UEFA have regulations in place for the cancellation of matches in European football both before the visiting teams depart or if it is called off when they are in the country. Their Article 11.01 states: "If the home club finds that a match cannot take place, for example because the field is not fit for play, the home club must notify the visiting club and the referee before their departure from home and the Uefa administration at the same time. In this case, the match must be played at another venue and/or on another date as decided by the Uefa administration after consultation with the home club for the venue and with both clubs (for the date)."

If the UEFA refereeing team wait until Celtic arrive in Azerbaijan and then call it off, the regulations state: "If any doubt arises as to the condition of the field of play after the visiting club's departure from home, the referee decides on the spot whether or not it is fit for play. If the referee decides that the match cannot commence, for example because the field is unfit for play, the match must be played either the next day, or on a reserve date or other date set by the UEFA administration."