CHAOS is expected in Saturday’s Malaysia Cup final between Darul Ta’zim and Pahang at National Stadium in Bukit Jalil as two other events will be held near the venue on match day.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) had initially proposed new dates, either on Friday or Sunday, for the final but both teams rejected them.
The Peninsular Children of Sarawak Association will organise a gathering attended by Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem at the stadium’s parking lot while a Buddhist association will hold an event at Putra Stadium the same day.
FAM competitions committee chairman Datuk Seri Afandi Hamzah said the new dates were proposed to Pahang and Darul Ta’zim but both rejected them as Friday and Sunday are working days in their respective states.
“I anticipate a massive jam in Bukit Jalil on match day. Pahang did not want to play on Friday as it is a working day in their state while Johor gave the same reason when we proposed Sunday. Both teams want to play on Saturday,” said Afandi after chairing the Malaysia Cup final liaison committee meeting at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
“We expect more than 90,000 fans at National Stadium on match day and probably an additional of 20,000 people for the Buddhist and Sarawak Association events. More than 500 charted buses from Pahang and Johor will also arrive in Bukit Jalil, not including fans driving to the stadium for the match.”
It will be the stadium’s first match since its closure after the game between Malaysia and Thailand's Chonburi last July due to the poor pitch condition.
Afandi said: “We do not want anything untoward on match day so buses from Pahang and Johor will send their passengers to the stadium first before parking at Teknologi Park Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia respectively.
“I also encourage fans to use public transport to Bukit Jalil as parking spots will be limited. We have spoken to RapidKL to extend operating hours. Buses must leave their passengers at the stadium before 2pm and if they arrive late, security may not allow them into the area. This rule also applies to those with own transport,” said Afandi.
“As for ticket allocation, each team will be given 40,000 tickets while another 10,000 will be sold online at www.tickethotline.com.my. We will not open ticket counters at the stadium.”
Ticket prices are RM40 for adults and RM5 for children.