KUALA LUMPUR – A new stadium is set to be built in Malaysia as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Fifa have announced a collaborative project in the AFC Stadium in Putrajaya.
The project was announced by AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Fifa president Gianni Infantino in a ceremony held in Putrajaya yesterday.
The new stadium, situated 30km away from the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, will be constructed on a site spanning 15.43 acres. It will be fully equipped with a grandstand, spectator’s boulevard and atrium, administrative offices, and underground carpark.
The state-of-the-art football-specific stadium will be financed with the support of the Fifa Forward programme and will support AFC’s member associations (MAs) and regional associations (RAs) with greater efficiency.
The AFC Stadium’s floor area is approximately 580,000 sq ft with a seating capacity of 10,000 and will feature the highest quality Fifa-graded football pitch.
Some of its key features include a cafeteria, a leading-edge media tribune and media commentators’ room as well as a vibrant water feature to be constructed at the entrance of the stadium.
Meanwhile, the Football Association of Malaysia and Malaysian government will provide logistical support to the project.
Shaikh Salman said with the new stadium, AFC can do more to for its MAs and RAs.
“The AFC House has been the focal point of football development through numerous courses, workshops, and seminars in the areas of technical and refereeing and now with this new AFC Stadium, we have the potential to do so much more.
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I must convey our gratitude to Fifa for their willingness to chart a new era of progress with the AFC as well as the Malaysian government for their dedication towards the development of Asian football, not only through this project but for its steadfast support over the decades.
“I am confident that the new AFC Stadium will pave the way for our MAs and RAs to scale even greater heights in the next decade,” he said in a statement.
Echoing the AFC chief’s sentiments, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the project is an important investment for Asian football.
“I want to congratulate and commend the AFC president and the executive committee members.
“It is a great project, and I am really proud and happy that we are teaming up through this AFC and Fifa stadium which can mark a new step in the Asian region,” he said.
Infantino was also in Putrajaya for the 11th AFC executive committee meeting.
Previously, PNB Bhd announced the construction of two Fifa-standard football pitches along with three futsal pitches at the Seriemas Sportsplex in the township of Kota Seriemas in Nilai, Negri Sembilan. – The Vibes, October 18, 2022
