Man walks from Kuantan to Shah Alam stadium

SHAH ALAM: 57-year old Abdul Majid Abdul Hamid from Kuantan, Pahang astonished a whole crowd of 300 Pahang football team supporters yesterday when he finally arrived at Shah Alam stadium in the afternoon, after walking from Kuantan state mosque on Nov 10.

 Abdul Majid took on the 280 kilometer journey when he pledged to walk from Kuantan to Shah Alam if the state football team win the Malaysian Cup on Nov 3, in which his state team, also known as 'Tok Gajah' brought home the cup after a long hiatus of winning.

 He said his journey was not without obstacles as he had to changed his shoes three times and slippers twice when they ripped apart as he walked, as well as fatigue and loss of energy.

 "But I keep holding on because I was really determined to prove to Pahang football team and its fans that I was serious when I made the pledge.

  "Throughout the journey, I was never short of attention and assistance from kind passerbys. Some of them gave me pocket money and water to drink. I was very touched with the support," said Abdul Majid who was accompanied by his friend, 51-year old Abdullah Osman.

  "I want to say thank you to everyone who prayed for my wellbeing throughout the journey. I could never do it without your support.

  "I hope that my journey would further inspire Pahang football team players to continue working hard and win more games, especially when they know that their fans really have their back," he said.

  Abdul Majid was also considered a hero for the Malays when he was crowned a Malay traditional headgear, the'tengkolok' by his supporters at the stadium.

  While Football Association of Pahang deputy president Datuk Akbar Abu who was also present at the stadium said that Abdul Majid's effort had uplifted the team's energy and spirit to continue winning in the future.

  "We were very touched with the sacrifices he made to show his support for the team," he said.

  Pahang football team supporter, Siti Zaleha Abd Manaf, who came to the stadium to receive Abdul Majid with the crowd said that the senior citizen's spirit for the team should be followed by the team's younger fans.

  "I feel really proud when I saw him arriving at the stadium. He did what many younger fans were unable to do and it was really inspiring," she said.

Read more: Man walks from Kuantan to Shah Alam stadium - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/man-walks-from-kuantan-to-shah-alam-stadium-1.399049#ixzz2kUIB1aPA

National Stadium: Concerts blamed

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NON-SPORTING EVENTS: Delay in removing coverings over pitch causes grass to die at National Stadium

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.

A National Stadium employee watering the uneven pitch yesterday. Pic by Kamarul Izzat Rahim