World Cup Pitch Triggers Litany of Complaints

The World Cup may have gotten off to a rollicking start, but quite a number of players and coaches have been complaining about the condition of the pitch. While Germany's star midfielder Michael Ballack has said the pitch is too slippery, Japan's coach Zico has complained that the grass had to be mowed shorter. Dutch star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy griped after the match against Serbia and Montenegro in Leipzig that the playing surface had been too "hard." However, Engelbert Lehmacher, the official greenkeeper for the World Cup has dismissed the criticism, saying his team had painstakingly tended the grass to ensure that it met World Cup standards. In an interview with DW-WORLD.DE, Lehmacher pointed out that the special mixture of grass and the current length of the grass stalks -- between 26 and 27 millimeters (about one inch) -- was exactly what world soccer body FIFA has prescribed. Lehmacher added that the criticism of the pitch was too subjective. "The Dutch have complained that the pitch is too hard. And I've just received an email that says it's too soft," he said. The greenkeeper has said he can't keep everyone happy. "The teams should be a bit more tolerant."