FAM'S fears came true when Sabah defender Dominic Tan ended up injured in Sunday's Merdeka Tournament final due to the poor pitch condition of the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil as Harimau Malaya beat Lebanon 1-0.
Dominic plays for Sabah and his club coach, Datuk Ong Kim Swee, was highly critical of the pitch as the injured player could miss Super League matches.
FAM Local Competitions organising committee chairman Firdaus Mohamed had also voiced his concerns over the pitch days before the Merdeka Tournament.
But he was assured by Malaysia Stadium Corporation (MSC) that the field would be fine. He said the MSC needs to be transparent about the pitch's condition because it exposes footballers to injuries.
"This is what we feared, but MSC said that the pitch would be ready. Now we have a player injured and this is not good for his club," said Firdaus.
"The owner of the facilities must be serious in ensuring the pitch is in good condition. They should conduct technical evaluation with the external experts before declaring the pitch ready for matches.
"If it is not ready, just inform us so that we can look for alternatives. MSC said the pitch is ready, but unfortunately, it's not good enough for international matches," he said.
Harimau Malaya's next home matches will be the AFF Cup in December.