KUALA LUMPUR – “It is important for us to play on proper football pitches instead of ‘paddy fields’ to avoid unnecessary injuries to our players.”
This was the response from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT)’s coaching staff member Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak following the postponement of his charges’ Super League match against Perak FC at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh on Saturday.
It was reported that the Super League clash between both sides was cancelled due to poor weather and subpar pitch conditions.
The match, initially scheduled to kick off at 8.15pm, was first delayed by 30 minutes.
After a second pitch inspection, it was announced that the game would start at 9.15pm.
However, the fixture was finally called off by the Malaysia Football League (MFL) for the second time, with a new date yet to be confirmed.
The match had already been postponed from August 17 after less than four minutes of starting due to similar circumstances.
Speaking to Scoop, Aidil, a JDT club legend and a respected figure in the local football scene, expressed his frustration at witnessing these ongoing issues without any improvements happening.
“It was frustrating for the team as we were unable to finish the match held (on Saturday). Leaving the rain aside, the condition of the pitch was poor – it was more like a paddy field.
“To be honest, we were worried that our players would get injured, and we are fortunate that the game was cancelled. We already have a few players, such as Syahmi Safari and Enzo Lombardo, who have been injured for a long time, and we didn’t want to add to the injury list.
“I hope there will be more efforts made to improve and maintain the quality of the pitches in the future,” Aidil said when contacted.
Meanwhile, Johor’s Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who owns JDT, echoed Aidil’s sentiment and called for a mindset shift regarding football infrastructure.
He made this statement in a post on his X account @HRHJohorII following the cancellation of the Southern Tigers’ match against Perak.
The post was accompanied by photos showing a waterlogged pitch, though it is unclear if the images were of Perak Stadium.
“We really need to change our mindset and priorities regarding football infrastructure if we want to compete with our neighbouring countries.
“Infrastructure will help us raise the quality of football in our country. I’ve been saying this for the last 10 years,” he said in his post.
JDT currently sit at the top of the Malaysia Super League with 31 points. – October 7, 2024
