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KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry had borrowed a protective canvas to cover the field in Bukit Jalil National Stadium as it was prioritising repairs for the facility instead of purchasing new equipment, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
Responding to an outcry by netizens, the minister said there was a plan to purchase the canvas, but noted that it is currently not the right time to do so.
Faizal, who is popularly known as Peja, added that the protective cover is “not cheap” and can cost up to RM300,000, and that the pitch needed to be repaired beforehand.
“The renovation work (for the stadium) is still ongoing. We will start with the pitch first, and only then we will buy the canvas,” he said.
“We do not want to buy the canvas now. We will start by changing the pitch first,” the Bersatu deputy president said, as quoted by The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister publication Getaran.
Netizens slammed the stadium’s management after Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) team owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim reportedly lent a protective canvas to cover the pitch recently.
They questioned why the stadium, which falls under the purview of the ministry, is too “poor”, or does not have the financial resources to ensure that the football pitch is in a “healthy” condition.
In response, Faizal said that the matter should not be turned into an issue, as all parties knew the current state of the field and other stadium facilities, which required immediate action.
Faizal also stressed that the absence of the stadium’s own protective cover was not due to a lack of funds, but rather the more urgent need for other repair work.
He added that the stadium is still closed for renovation work, but was temporarily reopened for the FA Cup Final between Terengganu FC and JDT yesterday.
“We have closed the stadium for renovation work, but the Malaysian Football League appealed to open it (for the FA Cup Final).
“So, considering the interest of national football, we allowed it,” he said.
Previously, Faizal declared the stadium closed starting June 15 to make way for renovation work there.
He said his ministry initially planned to close the stadium at the end of March 2023.
However, he said due to the urgency of the situation, the restoration work needed to be expedited as there could be no more delays on the matter. – The Vibes, September 11, 2022
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