http://www.football365.com/news/story_133405.shtml
With UEFA President Lennart Johansson calling on Arsenal to lay an artificial pitch at their new Ashburton Grove stadium, the FA are set to reverse their ban on synthetic surfaces.
The infamous 'dangerous' and 'unsuitable' plastic pitches were outlawed by the FA in 1983, but the ban is likely to be lifted following UEFA's ruling this week that artificial surfaces could be used by any club that qualifies for European competition.
"I would definitely advise Arsenal to have artificial grass at Ashburton Grove. Within 10 years, artificial pitches will be fully accepted," Johansson told The Daily Telegraph.
"These pitches will come. The International Board have accepted it, FIFA have accepted it and England will accept it."
"The quality of artificial surfaces is now much better, certainly much better than a lousy grass pitch in England in December," he added.
Oldham, QPR and Luton were among the clubs that used plastic pitches before the ban was issued. They were vilified for doing so, with opponents claiming that the pitches aggravated injuries and caused numerous burns to players.
But after carrying out a two-year study into the issue, UEFA are convinced that new technology now makes synthetic surfaces a viable and safe option.
"The quality has reached a level where artificial turf is comparable to or even better than some of the natural turfs," UEFA chief executive, Lars-Christer Olsson, told The Independent. "The need for artificial pitches has been big for decades, if you come from countries where you have bad winters for example."