KUALA LUMPUR: If the condition of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium Bukit Jalil pitch remains dire before and after the match between Harimau Malaya and Oman, then Malaysia Stadium Corporation chairman Datuk Hans Isaac should resign.
This call was made by local football observer Zack Rahim, who believed that Isaac should take responsibility by stepping down from MSC.
"However, if on the day of the game, the pitch conditions are worse than the Raja Muda Stadium, I feel that the chairman, entire board of directors, and the chief executive officer should be ready to leave MSC immediately after Tuesday's game.
"This demand is not because we cannot accept the stadium being used for concerts. But it is because all of them mentioned above are incompetent, incapable of shouldering the responsibility as managers of assets under the Youth and Sports Ministry, namely the National Stadium. They have failed terribly," he said.
The Bukit Jalil National Stadium's pitch has continued to be a hot topic of discussion following the spread of videos and images showing damage to the surface of the field due to the Ed Sheeran concert on Feb 24.
The same issue occurred last November when the corporation allowed Coldplay to hold a concert on the National Stadium's pitch, resulting in damage to the surface of the pitch, despite it being a new type of Zeon Zoysia grass sponsored by Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
"It doesn't matter if they want to hold concerts, gigs, or funfairs, because it brings income to the stadium. Everyone understands that. Relying solely on football is not enough to maintain a stadium, including other facilities such as the hockey stadium, other arenas, and swimming complexes," said Zack.
"But when they fail to manage it as promised, it means failure. All promises and hope given are therefore false.
"Deceiving Malaysian football fans, deceiving the FA of Malaysia (FAM), and deceiving the Malaysian people is a very, very serious matter."
On March 8, a concerned national coach Kim Pan Gon said he was disappointed with the pitch's conditions.
On Friday, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said photos of the stadium's pitch that appeared on social media, taken by drones, did not reflect the current situation.
"That's not yesterday's or today's picture. We have to wait for match day," said Hannah briefly after a press conference in Putrajaya.
Isaac had said on his social media page: "I can't wait for the 26th (of March) guys. Malaysia versus Oman. Let's go, friends. We'll meet at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil."
In October last year, the poor pitch condition at the National Stadium was a major source of contention during the Merdeka Tournament. A month later, barren patches appeared on the pitch after the Coldplay concert.
On Dec 4 last year, the furore surrounding the Bukit Jalil National Stadium's pitch caught the attention of Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club owner Tunku Ismail, who "sponsored" the Zeon Zoysia pitch, worth RM1.4 million.
Accompanied by four photos on Tunku Ismail's social media page was a caption that read: "Good standard for the final of Malaysia Cup. Looks like your formula is working @hansisaac."
It was unclear whether Tunku Ismail was being sarcastic or complimenting Hans.