SINGAPORE – Major football competitions should not be played on artificial pitches as that can pose a danger to players, said Myanmar coach Antoine Hey, as he questioned why his team’s Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship opener against Singapore on Saturday will take place at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Hey started Friday’s pre-match press conference at Parkroyal on Beach Road by sending get-well wishes to Singapore’s Ikhsan Fandi and Adam Swandi. The duo have been ruled out of the tournament after suffering knee injuries on Jalan Besar’s artificial surface during last Saturday’s 3-1 friendly win over the Maldives.
He then took issue with the pitch, saying: “This (Ikhsan and Adam’s injuries) is part of football and this is why I am not a fan of artificial turf. For junior football, maybe it is a good idea but, for very intense senior-level international matches, I doubt this is a solution for the future.”
Besides the Myanmar match, the Lions will also play their other AFF Championship home group game – against Vietnam next Friday – at the 6,000-seater Jalan Besar Stadium. However, if they finish among the top two of Group B and advance to the semi-finals, they will return to the 55,000-seat National Stadium. Their away group matches are in Laos (Tuesday) and Malaysia (Jan 3).
The Straits Times had reported in October that the Lions would not be able to host their home group matches at the National Stadium – which they did last year – as the venue had committed to other events.
Hey, who had coached several African national teams, including Gambia, Liberia and Kenya, also pointed out that playing high-intensity matches on artificial surfaces can pose a danger to players and suggested that matches be held on natural grass in future.
“The artificial turf is an issue for the last 15 years,” said the 52-year-old German. “If it is such a good idea, why are no international competitions like the World Cup, Asian Cup or the Champions League played on artificial turf?
“As long as best players and best teams are not playing on artificial turf, what is the reason for us to play on this? In senior international football, with all the dynamics and speed involved, it is very dangerous (for the players).”
Although there was no conclusive evidence that playing on artificial turf carries a higher injury risk compared to playing on natural grass, footballers here have often cited increased fatigue after training or matches on plastic surfaces.
In recent years, players who have suffered serious knee injuries while playing or training on artificial pitches include Young Lions captain Jacob Mahler and Hougang United forward Sahil Suhaimi.
When asked about the matter, Lions coach Takayuki Nishigaya said: “We cannot change anything now. We have to focus on what we can do and then once we can get to the semi-finals, we can use the National Stadium.”
Pressed on whether the use of artificial surface was good for Singapore football’s future, the Japanese, 49, said: “In order to develop Singapore football, we should play on natural grass but we have to work together with everyone on this. The Government, the football clubs here have to all cooperate with each other and only then can we solve this situation.”
This is not the first time a coach had questioned the use of Jalan Besar for an AFF tournament. In 2014, Malaysia coach Dollah Salleh said that “a good playing surface is important” for a prestigious tournament.
