KUALA LUMPUR – Polis Diraja Malaysia FC (PDRM FC) is sceptical about the quality of the Selayang City Council Stadium pitch, which may hinder their performance in this season’s Super League campaign.
In their sixth appearance in the top-tier Malaysian football league, PDRM FC finished in eighth place last season with 37 points, narrowly missing out on the 2024/25 Asean Club Championship group stage (AFF Shopee Cup) by just one point behind Kuala Lumpur City FC, who finished seventh with 38 points.
Under the guidance of their newly appointed head coach, P. Maniam, the club aims to secure a top-five position supported by their foreign signings, Chidi Osuchukwu and Faith Obilor from Nigeria, and Mario Arques from Spain.
Speaking to Scoop, Maniam expressed concern about the pitch’s quality following his team’s pre-season defeat at the hands of Terengganu FC on April 3.
PDRM FC lost the game 1-6, with Terengganu’s goals scored by Manuel Ott, Ismael Akinade, Nurillo Tukhtasinov, and Engku Shakir, while Faith Obilor scored the only goal for PDRM FC.
“I watched the game from the stands, and honestly, the pitch was not in good condition. The ball moved around too much, and the players struggled to execute their passes properly.
“I believe that the condition of our stadium’s pitch may hinder our performance this season, especially as it is also used by other non-league clubs.
“However, I don’t see this as an issue or an excuse for us not to perform well in the league. As long as we deliver on the pitch, we can still achieve a respectable finish in the league,” said Maniam when contacted.
Aside from PDRM FC, the 16,000-capacity Selayang City Council Stadium pitch was also used by the Selangor U-23 team for the Malaysia Football League Cup tournament on several occasions last season.
Additionally, it has been one of the main home grounds for several teams competing in the Selangor Football League over the years.
The Selayang City Council Stadium was also the home ground for the now-defunct club Selangor MK Land FC, which competed in the Super League from 2000 to 2006.
Throughout his 19-year coaching career, Maniam has coached various age levels of Selangor FC, including the under-19, under-21, and senior teams.
The 55-year-old has also coached Petaling Jaya City in the Super League until its disbandment in 2022, and Harini FC in the M3 League and has the experience coaching the national under-16 team from 2019 to 2020. – April 9, 2024