London, Jul 22: The newly-introduced blue turf in world hockey has once again come in for sharp criticism from India's chief coach Michael Nobbs, who said he doesn't understand why the London Olympics 2012 organisers decided to hold the competition on such "a slow and bouncy surface".

London Olympics Special

Nobbs said the blue turf is no match to the traditional green pitch and all the teams will face difficulties in adjusting to the surface.

"During the tour (of Spain) we played on blue turf and let me tell you some interesting facts have come up. None of the teams we played during the tour could convert most of the penalty corners (including ourselves). We could convert only three of the 33 penalty corners," he said.

"The turf is made by the same company with same colour but it played differently at different places. Each turf has different characteristics depending on the climatic conditions.

"In France, we played on green turf which was fast while blue turf was slow and bouncy. I don't know why this turf has been introduced. I can only guess that blue being one of the Olympic colour, they have introduced it (in London Olympics)," Nobbs added.

Hockey in the London Games will be played on the new blue turf at the Riverbank Arena, which has become a talking point for its unpredictable nature.
Nobbs is not alone to criticise the surface. His Australian counterpart Ric Charlesworth too has been a vocal critic of the blue turf since its introduction in world hockey for its uneven and slower nature.

PTI