KUALA LUMPUR – Regent of Johor, Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, will be donating hybrid grass to the National Stadium Bukit Jalil as a replacement for its current Zeon Zoysia grass.
“Tunku Ismail has decreed that the current Zeon Zoysia grass will be removed and installed at the National Sports Council field in the Kuala Lumpur Sports City,” Malaysia Stadium Corp said in a statement today.
Stadium Corp added that it will work closely with the management of the Larkin Stadium to receive the hybrid grass.
They also remain committed to managing a multipurpose pitch that can be used for sporting and non-sporting events.
The Zeon Zoysia pitch at the Bukit Jalil Stadium has had a notorious time in the spotlight since last year due to its frequently poor condition.
The most recent incident took place when the coach of the Oman football team, Jaroslav Silhavy, revealed that his team was not allowed to train on the pitch before their 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Malaysia on March 26.
The pitch was in a poor state after British pop star Ed Sheeran held a concert for a sold-out crowd of 50,000 at the National Stadium on February 24.
When the match started, the pitch quickly tore up and led to a serious injury for Harimau Malaya defender Azam Azmi. – April 17, 2024