Ahead of the season's curtain-raising Independence Cup, Bashundhara Kings, Sheikh Russel and Mohammedan expressed their concern over the poor artificial turf at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium, and the turf has now taken a toll by ruling Kings captain and national team defender Tapu Barman out for six weeks through a knee injury.

On Saturday, Tapu sustained the injury on his left knee in the 68th minute of their match while attempting to jump to escape a sliding tackle from onrushing Police forward Al Amin, in the process landing awkwardly outside the touchline. "I underwent MRI test after the incident. The MRI film and report were sent to Indian doctor Nando Kumar. The doctor advised our team phyio to have me rested for four to six weeks as I took a hit on the bone," Tapu told The Daily Star yesterday.

Explaining the situation, Tapu said, "It happened because of the ground, which is not in playable condition. When I jumped to escape the challenge from behind, my left leg got stuck on the turf and I had to balance on the knee instead of ankle, leading to the injury."

The artificial turf was installed in 2015 under FIFA Goal-Project-4 but many raised questions over the its quality within a couple of years as many players from Bangladesh Championship League sustained injuries from stones coming out from the beneath the turf. 

There was some repair job done on the turf in the past, but the safety standard has not improved much. Tapu described the issue players are facing during the ongoing tournament. "The spikes of boots get stuck on the turf. Besides, there is not enough rubber beneath the surface which could help the players balance themselves. The pitch has turned into a concrete/stone-based one," said Tapu.