Leicester City's groundsmen today sent a subtle message to the Football Association in response to their decision to place a ban on all pitch designs for the forthcoming season.

The decision by the FA to ban artistic designs on Premier League pitches was widely ridiculed by fans as an easy target at a time when much more pressing concerns need to be addressed. However, at Leicester City, a club whose groundsmen received worldwide acclaim last year for their innovative pitch patterns, the mood was significantly more sombre. The news is said to have shocked employees at the King Power stadium, with many of the side's crack team of groundskeepers reportedly furious at what they perceive as a pointless decision by the FA. While the club hierarchy has urged staff to remain calm over the issue, photographs leaked out of the ground reveal how ground staff have chosen to show their disdain for English football's decision makers in the form of large letters spelling out the phrase "F*CK YOU".

Taking a stand

According to members of the staff who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, the move was taken as a way of not only showing their anger, but also their skill, for what could well be the last time. "Look, we didn't want to do this, but it was brought upon us," said one groundsman who has worked at the club for close to a decade. "What harm are we causing? We just like to make nice designs and make people smile and maybe confuse people occasionally, that's all." Another groundsman, who was also part of the plan to cut the profanity into the turf, revealed that while it may be controversial, it is significantly more appropriate and tasteful compared to their original ideas, one of which can be seen above and has been pixelated for the sake of our younger readers. "If anything, we've toned it down. We had some truly abhorrent designs that we were going to do originally, from decapitated heads, to giant stencils of the male member and one that was simply going to be Richard Scudamore's home phone number. So, really, this is not that bad," he said. At press time, a Leicester City spokesman said that while the club plans to eventually remove the swear words from the pitch, they might keep it there for a few days more simply because of how funny it is.