GRASS OR RUBBER?

The infrastructure established in Azerbaijan for the development of football served as an incentive for the mass interest in this sport nationwide. The football clubs do not have a problem of unavailable stadiums anymore neither at national nor international levels, as it was 5-10 years ago. There are also smaller areas for playing football that the youth can enjoy in spare time. Nevertheless, the artificial cover of these fields make experts to think about this issue seriously.

It is no secret that the majority of Azerbaijani coaches turn against playgrounds with artificial cover. The Honored Coach of Azerbaijan, Aghasalim Mirjavadov, told us about the major differences between natural and artificial cover: "I am against artificial cover since day one. It creates serious problems for the players. Sometimes the players are trained on the field with a natural cover, while have to play the actual match on an artificial one. Artificial cover makes the players get tired earlier and increases the likelihood of injury. Even a small injury on artificial cover causes more complications. Artificial covers differ in types. Higher quality covers are very expensive. Therefore, most of our fields are covered with 2-3 grade covers."

The European countries are seriously on top of this issue. FIFA and UEFA require that even the trainings for the European Cup matches are carried out on fields with natural cover. The Football Association of Netherlands intends to replace all artificial covers to natural ones in the next year. The reason is the results of the Dutch medical research. It was determined that the car tires were used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber covers. And the chemical substances in these tires can lead to cancer of young football players in the future. Although the Netherlands have more than 2,000 playgrounds with artificial cover, all professional clubs will hold championship matches on grass lawns starting from 2017. Currently, six teams of the Dutch Premier League are playing on fields with artificial cover, but they are given 4 months to solve this issue. The famous football club academy, Ajax, declared that the children playing in the younger age categories, will be trained on fields with natural cover.

The Georgian football also suffers from frequent injuries of players because of fields with artificial cover. Therefore, the neighboring country does not allow holding the championship matches on such fields. Starting from the new season, even the first division matches will be held on fields with natural cover.

What is the advantage of playgrounds with artificial cover, which attracts the interest in European countries and Azerbaijan? The biggest advantage is the lower costs associated with their maintenance. Each month, the natural cover needs tons of water, vitamins, expensive chemicals, and a special care. In addition, during excessively hot weather season, there is a threat to burn the grass. Artificial cover can be stored for years with much less maintenance. There are many playgrounds with artificial cover in Azerbaijan as well. The main and auxiliary arena of FC Inter Arena, the stadium of AZAL, as well as the stadiums in Zagatala and Tovuz have artificial cover. Currently, due to adverse financial conditions, a number of domestic clubs cannot afford a switch to natural cover. A number of clubs in general are not able to maintain it. Therefore, it seems unrealistic that we will be able to give up the fields with artificial cover anytime soon.

R+ asked a Candidate of Medical Sciences, Sahhat Mammadov, about the results achieved by Dutch doctors. He sticks to a completely opposite opinion: "It is true that the used tires are used in the manufacture of artificial cover. But the tires have several types. I can assure you that the matches played on such fields do not cause cancer. The amateur football is played on artificial fields all around the world. I also wonder how the Dutch doctors have come to this conclusion. On the other hand, I do agree that football players often get injured on fields with artificial cover. The soon get tired and even a simple fall can cause an injury. I'm not really informed about the statistics for Azerbaijan. However, one should consider the most recent standards when choosing fields with artificial cover. There are artificial covers, which do not differ from the natural ones. Although such covers are more expensive, it is better to give preference to them. "

The former head coach of the national team, and now the head coach of Kapaz Ganja, Shahin Diniyev, is also against playing football on artificial cover. "Football should be played on a field with a natural grass cover. One can easily run and make passes on such fields. In recent years, the number of playground with artificial cover has increased worldwide. This creates serious problems for professional players. For example, the players of Kapaz hold matches on fields with natural cover 3 weeks in a row. Then we spend one game on a field with artificial cover. This coverage is the cause of many problems. It takes longer to get the player injured on such a field recovered. After the first 45 minutes of the match, it is difficult to move, regardless of physical indicators. It is especially difficult to play on such fields during the hot summer season – the rubber coating reflects the heat, making it more difficult to play. I understand the financial conditions of the clubs. Despite this, I am in favor of playgrounds with natural covering."

According to the results of our own investigation, in 2017, it is planned to provide some of the stadiums in Azerbaijan with natural grass cover. Due to financial situation, AZAL Arena intends to replace the artificial cover to the one with better quality.

Given that football is a part of the Islamic Solidarity Games to be held next year, and that 4 matches of the UEFA European Championship will be held in Baku in 2020, it is time to get rid of the playgrounds with artificial cover. The participating teams usually train on fields with natural cover before such remarkable competitions. Therefore, we must increase the number of fields with natural cover starting from now.