KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — The hosting of a concert by notable United Kingdom rock band Muse at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium (SNBJ) this Saturday (July 29) will not affect the replacement process of the pitch with Zeon Zeoysia grass, which is currently underway.
Perbadanan Stadium Malaysia (PSM) chief executive officer Mohd Faidz Sanusi said so far the new grass has not been planted while the surface of the SNBJ pitch which is covered in sand will be protected with a ‘pitch cover’ throughout the concert, titled Will of The People World Tour 2023.
“It is not affected (the grass replacement process), there is no more grass, only the drainage system has been settled.
“After the end of the Muse concert, the contractor will start planting new grass from Aug 1 and it will take two weeks,” he said at the Kuala Lumpur Sports City (KLSC) 25th-anniversary celebration press conference yesterday evening.
Muse, known for their songs Time Is Running Out, Supermassive Black Hole, and Starlight, rocked Stadium Negara during their debut concert in Malaysia in 2007.
In the meantime, Mohd Faidz expects the grass replacement process to be fully ready by the end of September, and the pitch will then be used for the Pestabola Merdeka tournament this October.
Besides the Harimau Malaya (Malaysia’s national team), the Pestabola Merdeka, which is being organised again after a 10-year hiatus, will involve India, Palestine and Lebanon as the main challengers to the Kim Pan Gon-led squad.
At the same time, he said the construction of the nursery next to the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium has also reached 50 per cent progress.
“Before, if the pitch was damaged we would fix it near the stadium ourselves, but after this, we can remove the damaged patch and replace it with a new one from the nursery,” Mohd Faidz said.
Meanwhile, PSM chairman Datuk Hans Isaac is leaving it to the contractor to determine the appropriate time for the pitch to be ready for use after the grass replacement process has been successfully done.
The planting of Zeon Zoysia grass since last April to replace the existing Cow Grass is deemed more suitable for the weather and climate in this country. The pitch replacement is estimated to cost up to RM1.4 million and is sponsored by Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim
SNBJ previously used Bermuda Greenless Park grass from 1998 to 2005, Marimo Seashore Paspalum with Zoysia Material (from 2005 to 2013), and Bermuda Mountain Green with Princess (from 2013 to 2015).
— Bernama
