PETALING JAYA — Harimau Malaya’s head coach Kim Pan-gon seems to be disappointed with the current state of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium pitch ahead of the fourth Group D match during the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Oman on March 26.
Pan-gon expressed his concern over the condition of the pitch after inspecting it with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, Malaysia Stadium Corporation chairman Datuk Hans Isaac, and his coaching staff, yesterday.
“However, the technical staff there said they are confident that the pitch will be in good condition come March 26.
“I am very disappointed but he (the technician) told me that our team won’t play tomorrow,” he told reporters during the first day of the central training camp period here, today.
Earlier, questions arose about the condition of the pitch at Harimau Malaya’s home stadium, after several concerts were held at the venue.
Harimau Malaya held a centralised training camp at Wisma FAM, today in preparation for the third Group D match against 80th-ranked team Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat on March 21, before flying back home for the fourth match at Bukit Jalil, five days later.
After two matches against Oman, Malaysia, currently ranked 132nd, will meet Kyrgyzstan (June 6) away and return to await the arrival of Taiwan at Bukit Jalil on June 11.
Malaysia are on the right track to make history by qualifying for the third round of the World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time, currently leading Group D with a three-point advantage over Oman.
Pan-gon’s boys recorded two victories against Kyrgyzstan (4-3) and Taiwan (1-0) last year to top the group, while Oman, in second place, share points with Kyrgyzstan, while Taiwan trail without any points. — March 8, 2024