KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — The Malaysian Stadium Board (PSM) remain committed to provide a world class football pitch for the Harimau Malaya squad, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
She believes the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, under the supervision of a contractor with vast expertise in Zeon Zoysia-type grass, can prepare an excellent pitch for the development of football in the country.
A nursery for growing Zeon Zoysia grass was located close to the National Stadium, and the contractor in charge of turfing and maintaining the grass at the stadium is the same contractor responsible for the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium that belongs to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
“There will be no additional cost incurred for grass replacement at the National Stadium because the nursery can cater for any replacement. It was a part of the maintenance plan for the stadium,” said Hannah in a Facebook post.
On Friday (October 13), during the match between Malaysia and India, the newly upgraded pitch with Zeon Zoysia grass, which cost more than RM4.8mil, had chunks of grass flying all over as soon as the match started, drawing criticism from India’s national coach.
Meanwhile, a local daily reported that PSM chief executive officer Faidz Sanusi confirmed that Tunku Ismail had provided ample warning regarding the field condition at the National Stadium.
FAM is aware of the current condition of the pitch but explained that the match had to proceed because tickets for the Malaysia-India match had already been sold.
According to the report, Faidz acknowledged that FAM officials were present when Tunku Ismail voiced his concerns about the grass’ readiness.
“We discussed the issue with FAM, but the decision was made to proceed with the match,” he was quoted as saying.
However, PSM assured that the pitch will be ready for the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asia Cup Qualifiers, which starts next month.
— Bernama
