KUALA LUMPUR: CONCERTS and other non-sportsrelated events are a big part of the reason the pitch at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil is in bad condition.
Stadium staff said even though special coverings are used for the grass, the pitch was still affected.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, these staff members said one of the main reasonswas because the coverings were not removed quickly enough.
One said Malaysia Stadium Corporation (MSC) had a strict rule that these coverings had to be used.
“But once a concert or event ends, the coverings are not removed quickly.
"Most of the time, by the time they are removed, the grass would have turned yellow and will have little time to recover. These areas then turn into bald patches."
He put the blame on the organisers of such events as they were the ones responsible for removing the covering.
Another member of staff said the next non-sporting event at the National Stadium was a concert on Monday.
Glancing around the stadium, the NST team at first did not notice anything wrong with the pitch.
But walking a little closer, the imperfections become obvious.
There were sandy bald spots and uneven areas, clearly in need of returfing. The last major returfing was in 2006.
Malaysia Stadium Corporation chief executive officer Ahmad Halmi Harun declined to comment.
"My chairman (Datuk Rozabil Abdul Rahman) will hold a tell-all press conference on Wednesday. We will keep the media informed."
The condition of the National Stadium's field came under scrutiny when Spanish Primera Liga team Barcelona refused to play against the the Malaysian team there. The match was switched to the Shah Alam Stadium at the last minute.
It was reported that three Barcelona players were injured while training at the National Stadium on Friday, among them, Lionel Messi.
The pitch was last returfed for the AFC Asian Cup. A year earlier, the original Bermuda grass was replaced by seashore marino paspalum (salt-tolerant warm season grass).
This is not the first time the pitch has been criticised. Organisers of the exhibition match between the national team and English club Chelsea decided to hold the match at Shah Alam Stadium as well, purportedly because the National Stadium pitch was in a bad condition.
In 2002, four years after the stadium was dedicated, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari commented that the friendly match against Malaysia was akin to a "beach soccer match".
In June, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin ordered MSC to close the football field for six months from October for repairs.
Khairy said the field did not meet international standards and that the criteria for using the stadium would be tightened.
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