KUALA LUMPUR – Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim is puzzled at the decision by certain clubs to reject the Youth and Sports Ministry’s offer to upgrade football pitches in the country.
The Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) owner said it is illogical for teams to say that they do not want to upgrade their pitches to the Zeon Zoysia grass that was offered by the ministry as the yearly maintenance costs do not exceed RM300,000.
“In my opinion, maintenance cost is not an excuse because the lowest budget in the Super League is RM8 million for a club.
“So what is the logic that the clubs cannot maintain their pitch?” he said today during the breaking-ground ceremony for pitch upgrading works at Bukit Jalil National Stadium here.
He added that certain clubs receive funds from their respective state governments in the range of millions.
“There are clubs that receive RM20 million from the state government, some even get RM30 million. At most the maintenance cost will be around RM280,000 a year, so why can’t they maintain the pitch?
“It does not make sense to me.”
Tunku Ismail said a pitch’s condition reflects the team’s management, and from his experience being in the industry for 11 years, he sees that the money is being spent on non-instrumental items.
“Spending on Recaro seats and foreign players, but the most fundamental is the football pitch.
“We have to look at the bigger picture, which is the national team because I think we have the potential to go far in tournaments.
“If we don’t do this now and take care of our football facilities, we will be left behind compared to our neighbours such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.”
Meanwhile, Tunku Ismail said he will always give his full support to release JDT players for national team duties if it takes place within the FIFA calendar.
“If it is a FIFA competition, I won’t just release my players but offer the national team all the technology and facilities that we have at JDT.
“I have always been supportive towards the national team, but if it is not a FIFA competition, then as someone who pays the player’s wages, it is not beneficial for me to release them.”
Previously, Tunku Ismail praised the ministry’s efforts to ensure proper pitch conditions across the country, adding that poor fields are the reason why Malaysia does not get to host international tournaments. – The Vibes, March 18, 2023
