KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is confident that Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) will have the pitch at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium ready for Harimau Malaya’s upcoming World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers match.
The fourth Group D match of the second round of the World Cup 2026/Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers against Oman will take place on March 26 (Tuesday).
Speaking to Scoop, FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman said that the national body is satisfied with the current condition of the pitch after several inspections over the past one month.
“The first inspection was made by myself and FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin earlier this month, and despite head coach Kim Pan-gon recently saying that he was not satisfied with the condition of the pitch, PSM has made it clear that the pitch will be ready by the 26th.
“Last Friday, we even had another inspection together with AFC general secretary Datuk Windsor Paul John, and overall we were satisfied with the condition of the pitch.
“It’s just that there are a few patches here and there around the pitch which need to be fixed, but it can be covered within the next two to four days.
“Today our competition chairman will once again check the condition of the pitch, and that will be FAM’s last visit before the game. But I firmly believe that everything will be okay.
“FAM has full trust in PSM chairman Datuk Hans Isaac and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s promise that the pitch will be ready before the game,” said Azman when contacted.
At the same time, Azman also said that the national body doesn’t have a contingency plan if the pitch is not ready, citing that they have already begun ticket sales for the match.
“We don’t have a contingency plan as we have already started selling match tickets; no matter what happens, we still have to play at Bukit Jalil.
“It’s very difficult to come up with a plan B when tickets have already started to be sold. So far, around 10,000 tickets have been sold, and we are expecting 30,000 tickets before the match begins.
“We are realistic as it’s now the Ramadan month, and people will be fasting and working. If we have more people coming to the game, it will be great for the team as well, and we are hoping to win our next game in front of our home fans,” Azman added.
Recently, a viral photo was circulated on social media purportedly depicting the current state of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
The image, allegedly taken with a drone camera, appears to show a distressed grass pitch with visible patches and uneven areas.
The circulation of the photo sparked concerns among local football enthusiasts, particularly regarding the national football team.
Scoop previously reported that sports minister Hannah firmly denied the authenticity of the viral photo.
Malaysia suffered their first defeat in the World Cup qualification campaign yesterday, losing 0-2 to Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium in Muscat.
This setback has dropped Malaysia to third place in Group D, level on six points with Oman and Kyrgyzstan, while Chinese Taipei remains at the bottom of the table with no points. – March 23, 2024