Karim Bencharifa (top) & Carlos Perreira

Calcutta: Bob Houghton was a perturbed man in Barcelona. Most of the clubs lined up to meet India in practice matches played on artificial turf and Houghton loathes the very sight of that turf. “Natural grass is always better,” he says.

But then, faced with the ‘ground realities’ at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi, which is hosting the ongoing Nehru Cup, Houghton might have wondered what it would have been like had the pitch been artificial.

So it is that the makeover of the Salt Lake Stadium, complete with a brand new artificial surface, has coaches and players already voicing contrasting opinions.

For the record, the Chowgule College Sports Complex ground in Margao, is the only ground in India to have an artificial turf and given Goa’s fickle weather it’s a hot spot for all the teams since they want to have their practice sessions there.

“It will create a lot of problems for players. You need stamina and the ball moves faster than we are used to,” Mohun Bagan’s senior player Ishfaq Ahmed says. “And then, there is always a chance of getting injured. The knee, particularly, is susceptible to injury.

“Even the boots will have to be different. We generally prefer longer studs but for artificial turf the studs should be very small,” he sounded worried.

His coach Karim Bencharifa was guarded on the artificial turf debate.

“There are different categories of artificial turf. I have to see first hand before saying something,” the Moroccan said.

After a little prodding, Bencharifa opened up: “A good natural grass turf is always better than artificial turf. But what about a ground which is in poor condition? Then I will always pitch for the artificial turf.”

When asked about growing fears that artificial turf might not suit injury prone players, Bencharifa was more candid.

“Football is a game which involves a lot of movements. On natural surface the foot adjusts well to the changes but on artificial turf, since there is no soil, there is always a chance of the boot getting stuck, injuring the knee or ankle.”

Bencharifa has a point. The Amsterdam Arena, home of Ajax, go for a turf change twice a year. If artificial turf was that good, why aren’t they switching to the less expensive option? Why none of the big leagues like the English Premier League, the Spanish League have faith in artificial turf?

Shashikant Kasat, the director of the company which laid the turf, allayed fears about injuries. “We are always sceptical about anything new. The grass, which we have laid, is close to 95 per cent natural,” he said.

Lajong FC coach Stanley Rozario too sounded confident. “Artificial turf is something Fifa also is excited about. I am game for anything new. I will always go for it rather than a slushy Barasat Stadium.”

Brazilian Carlos Perreira, the former East Bengal coach and presently with Churchill Brothers said: “For good football it is very bad. But in India rains make the ground unplayable. Artifical turf could be the answer.”