A faulty retractable roof at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium is the only reason the pitch will have be re-laid for the FA Cup final, according to the North Yorkshire experts who provide the turf.
It is to be completely re-laid for the second time this year following more criticism of the playing surface after Sunday's LDV Vans Trophy final.
However, Thorganby-based Lindum Turf claim the pitch had been performing beyond expectations and only a breakdown of the roof has prompted such radical measures.
Wales's state-of-the-art stadium is set to host the final in under three weeks' time, with the Football League play-off finals to take place there the following weekend. But the FA yesterday said the turf was not fit to host its showpiece clash between Liverpool and Arsenal.
The pitch had been re-laid five weeks before the February 25 Worthington Cup final, but came in for more criticism after the match at the weekend.
Experts were called in to investigate and the FA thereafter decided a total relay was necessary, which will cost Millennium Stadium around £100,000.
Steve Fell, managing director of Lindum Turf which supplies the pitch, said: "We re-turfed it in January for the rugby internationals. At that time it was expected it would have to be returfed for the FA Cup final so it was always in the stadium budget to do that.
"Turf requires light and air and both are restricted in that stadium which makes it very difficult to grow turf.
"But it was doing very well, beyond expectations, and was looking like it would last for the FA Cup final. Because the roof has broken and has been unable to shut the deluge which they have had recently caused it to cut up badly on Sunday."
The turf will start to be re-laid on Saturday and is expected to take five days to complete.
The Millennium Stadium is one of only two sporting venues in the world - the other being the Giants' American football stadium in New York - that uses a pallet system to transfer and nurture the playing surface elsewhere.
Updated: 11:53 Wednesday, April 25, 2001
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