Agronomist Marcela Muñoz, who is overseeing the plan to protect the grass at the National Stadium, said the pitch will probably not look green after the BTS concerts. Even so, she is confident it will be fit for the friendly between Chile and Colombia on November 17.
BioBioChile reported the remarks Muñoz, one of the owners of Kepes, made in an interview with La Tercera's El Deportivo. La Tercera itself gave October 17 as the match date in its subheading, although the body of its article and BioBioChile's report give November 17.
According to La Tercera, production company DG Medios hired Kepes to develop an agronomic plan to protect the grass from a 600-tonne stage. The company worked alongside the ANFP (National Professional Football Association) and the IND (National Sports Institute). Muñoz oversaw the pitches at the Under-20 World Cup held in Chile and at the Maracanã during the 2014 World Cup.
The concern stems from what happened in Peru and Colombia, where pitches were left unusable after the South Korean band's shows. Muñoz highlighted two differences compared with Lima. "Lima had planned not to hold sporting events after the concert," she explained, so there was no detailed agronomic planning there. The other difference is the covering.
In Ñuñoa, a white, hard plastic covering was installed, which the expert describes as "photosynthetically active" and able to withstand traffic. A metal covering was used in Peru.
Planning began in February, and work on site started in early September. The second stage began on October 3, with the last activity at the venue. Before installation, the team cut the grass below FIFA's range of 20 to 23 millimetres to keep it from growing under the covering, and kept the soil as dry as possible despite the rain.
On the possibility of subsidence, Muñoz said structural engineers had analysed the stage loads and that her team inspects the pitch 24 hours a day. The irrigation system was also protected, with valves marked. According to her, infiltration is working well and there has been no water accumulation.
The challenge does not end with BTS. Over 30 days, the National Stadium will also host Iron Maiden and the Teletón. "It is normal for a plant to become stressed under a covering," Muñoz said, adding that what matters is keeping the soil profile intact.
For the agronomist, the goal is a safe pitch that meets the standards for high-performance play, even if it does not look green. Once the stages are removed, the third phase of recovery will begin. BioBioChile sought comment from the Ministry of Sport and the stadium administration but received no response.
