Hampden Park chiefs have promised to take action after the weekend’s semi-finals were marred by a ‘shocking’ pitch at the national stadium.
The surface cut up badly as Dundee United beat Aberdeen in the first semi on Saturday, and it was even worse on Sunday for the Old Firm clash won by Celtic.
Celtic captain Scott Brown simply responded with “shocking” when asked about the surface.
Now Hampden Park chief executive Peter Dallas says efforts will be made in the next six weeks to ensure better underfoot conditions for the final in March.
He said: “It is regrettable that the new Hampden Park surface did not meet expectations during the Scottish League Cup semi-final weekend.
“This was due in part to the excessive rainfall and freezing temperatures that have hindered the development of the pitch an issue that has not been unique to the national stadium this winter – but, also, the timescale of restoration work undertaken since the Commonwealth Games.
“Preparing Hampden for the Commonwealth Games and returning the stadium for football has been a very detailed and in-depth operation. The new pitch was laid in November last year and we had worked closely with Glasgow 2014 to ensure the works started at the earliest opportunity.
“We will be working on a programme over the next six weeks to present the pitch in the best possible condition for the Scottish League Cup final and the Scotland national team’s return to Hampden for the International Challenge match against Northern Ireland and European Qualifier against Gibraltar in March.”