IPOH: Other stadiums can be used alternatively for international football matches to ensure the quality of the playing field at Bukit Jalil National Stadium is in a good condition.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the condition of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium field during Malaysia's match against Bahrain on Saturday had been given a reply by the Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) which said that the stadium has a good system to drain water from the field.
He said to prevent a similar incident from recurring, the Asian Football Federation (AFC) and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) need to discuss with the ministry and PSM to determine the venue of international matches in the future.
"This match was handled by AFC with the cooperation of FAM, not the Youth and Sports Ministry, not PSM. So the people need to understand that before lashing out at the minister.
"Maybe we can use other stadiums for a match like this. For example, for a match that does not involve many spectators like Turkmenistan against Bangladesh, we can use the Kuala Lumpur stadium," he suggested.
Ahmad Faizal, who is also the Tambun member of parliament, said this after opening Surau Al-Faizin at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasukan Polis Hutan here today.
He was commenting on criticism of the quality of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium pitch from fans when the national team played Bahrain on Saturday.
Before the match began, footballs fans were treated to a scene of several Stadium workers removing stagnant water from the field with shovels and cardboard, which had gone viral.
The rain-soaked pitch which left both teams having to lob the ball as it became stuck in the water puddles left many football fans scratching their head as to what sort of upgrades had been done at the national stadium.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Faizal hoped that the people and football fans would continue to back the national team despite the defeat of Bahrain.
"Goalkeeper, Farizal Marlias should not be criticised for his mistakes, instead Malaysia's defeat in the match should be a useful lesson for the national players.
"To me, the national goalkeeper (Farizal) has done a lot for the country and has dedicated his life to sports. Of course, he does not want to fail, but it has happened and I hope we can learn from the mistake, not blaming him as it could ruin him as an athlete," he said.
The national team went down to Bahrain 1-2 in the match. Malaysia will play their final qualifier against Bangladesh on Tuesday.