Jamshedpur: The newly laid turf at the renovated JRD Tata Sports Complex in Bistupur failed to impress Jamshedpur FC and Atletico de Kolkata players who clashed in a marquee Indian Super League (ISL) tie here on Friday night.
The top soil began coming out some five minutes into the first-half of the match affecting the movement of the men in action. Patches of ploughed soil were seen all over the greens which put a serious question mark on the preparedness of JFC owners Tata Steel.
Players of both the sides seemed sluggish while moving with the ball. Luckily nobody was injured although there was every possibility of it during the match. The condition was evident when ploughed soil was found dotting the surface. The ball rolled uneven and made tackling and dribbling difficult.
A groundsman said such things happen with re-laid pitches with sand profile. "Beneath the top surface there is sand. Grass has been sown on top of it. It is obvious that it did not root properly. Even a slight load would bring the soil out," he added.
Tata Steel chief of corporate communications Kulwin Suri said the surface would be okay after two matches. "We experienced extended rainfall till November 15. This affected the preparations. This things happen with any re-laid turf. It has happened elsewhere, too. The ground would be in shape after the next two matches," he told The Telegraph.
Suri's claims notwithstanding, a senior official at Tata Steel sports wing said it will take three more matches for the ground to be in perfect shape. "We had anticipated the problem. Although the groundsmen worked hard from July, rains affected their preparations," he added.
ATK coach Teddy Sheringham was not at all happy with the pitch. "Both sides were lucky that players did not get injured," he said.
Sheringham's JFC counterpart Steve Coppell, however, said condition of the ground was not that bad. "I think the pitch would improve after two-three matches."
A JFC player said they were lucky not to hurt themselves. "Injuries to key players do have a telling impact on the performance of a team. The ground looked nice when we arrived but was not the same in the later stages of the match," he added.
