KUALA LUMPUR: From hosting the 1998 Commonwealth Games to being named 2018 Stadium of the Year at the World Stadium Congress in Amsterdam, the Bukit Jalil National Stadium (SNBJ) has brought pride to Malaysia.
Listed among the top 10 biggest football stadiums in the world, it has also hosted many types of events, but what got everybody's attention recently was the sight of people using dustpans to scoop water from the waterlogged football field before the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualifying match between Bahrain and Malaysia on June 11.
A poor quality pitch and drainage system have been blamed, so people are asking why the Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) – a Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) facilities management agency – doesn’t consider redoing the field with synthetic turf.
PSM chief executive officer, Mohd Faidz Sanusi, told Bernama that part of the reason is that SNBJ is a multipurpose facility designed for sports and recreational activities.
He said that SNBJ requires a turf for different uses and that PSM has to factor in the maintenance cost, too.
“A maintenance culture is essential. You can build, but can you maintain? Like a car, if you maintain it properly, it can last for a long time.
“The upkeep costs money and PSM relies on government grants, so decisions will depend on the allocation,” he said.
The stadium, which has a capacity of over 80,000, has seen four field upgrades with the grass last changed in 2015 to the Axonopus compressus species which was said to be drought resistant, able to grow well in shade and cost effective.
“Grass needs air, water and sunlight to grow. The field at SNBJ only gets an hour of sunlight daily although it requires at least eight hours of it per day.
“We have to use grow lights and fertiliser. There’s also a schedule for manual checks of the grass for damage and weeds,” said Mohd Faidz.
For an event like a concert, he said PSM would work closely with the organiser from start to finish to minimise pitch damage.
“Grass can survive without light or water for a certain period, so if we cover the football field or place something on it, we have to make sure the grass can still breathe and that it's not obscured for too long. Damaged grass takes one to two weeks to recover,” Mohd Faidz added.
Improvements are being planned for SNBJ’s toilets, scoreboard and more, while for the field it would involve an upgrade to the drainage system, roofing and growing medium, as well as use of grow lights and portable turf fans.
On the offer by the Tunku Mahkota of Johor (TMJ) Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim – who is also Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Club (JDT) owner – to fund the switch to Zeon Zoysia grass as a gift to the national football squad, Harimau Malaya, which calls SNBJ home, Mohd Faidz said it has been submitted to the KBS.
“InsyaAllah (God willing), in the first quarter of next year. We will do our best to change the field soon. Not just the turf, but under it and the drainage, too. We will make sure the process goes smoothly and quickly.
He said that PSM is now readying a nursery, procuring maintenance tools and setting up a workshop.
On what happened on that fateful night in June before Malaysia lost 1-2 to Bahrain, Mohd Faidz said: “I will not talk about it except to say that it shouldn’t happen again. It’s not normal PSM practice.
“Moving forward, if we face the same situation once more, I think only PSM should take charge. No one else should touch the field. Meaning, the field is under our supervision, so let PSM take care of it,“ he said.-Bernama
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