Playing on turf takes a huge Tol
CELTIC new boy Jeremy Toljan insists Scottish football needs to listen to player complaints over plastic pitches.
The on-loan Borussia Dortmund full-back is set to get his first taste of action on Kilmarnock’s artificial surface on Sunday when the Hoops head to Rugby Park.
But Toljan admits he is stunned that the kind of synthetic turfs on show in Ayrshire as well as at Hamilton and Livingston are allowed in Scotland’s top-flight.
He said: “I haven’t heard much about the pitch. We only started focusing on the Kilmarnock game after Thursday night’s Valencia match,” he said.
“I’ve played on astro before, so it’s nothing new for me.
“But in Germany we don’t play on these kind of pitches and I think it’s better if we play on natural grass.
“For me it’s better. It’s better for the players’ bodies and the quality of the game is better on normal grass.
“I’m a bit surprised to see so many clubs use the astro in Scotland because I think we have the conditions to have real grass here.”