Malaysia-Oman: Pan Gon demands the promise of the field in the best condition
March 25, 2024 17:34 MYT
PETALING JAYA: Harimau Malaya Head Coach Kim Pan Gon today demanded the promise given that the quality of the pitch will be in the best condition, for the second round match of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers Group D between Malaysia and Oman at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, tonight tomorrow.
Pan Gon said he had not seen the current state of the National Stadium, but had been promised by those involved that the field would be ready for tomorrow's match.
"I have not seen the pitch, the technician that day promised me he will give me a good pitch, we need a good pitch, so we hope tomorrow we will be able to see a good pitch," said the 54-year-old coach from South Korea, at a press conference pre-match at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, today.
He said this when asked to comment on the condition of the National Stadium field, which has become a hot topic from various parties following the spread of images and videos of the unsatisfactory condition of the field recently.
Meanwhile Oman's Head Coach Jaroslav Silhavy said his team was unable to undergo an official training session at the National Stadium.
The former head coach of the Czech Republic who guided Oman to a 2-0 win over Malaysia in Muscat last Friday (Malaysian time) said they were not given permission to test the pitch before the match, having been informed that it was not in the best condition.
"Yesterday we were informed that we will not train there (National Stadium) because the field is not in good condition for training, for Malaysia or Oman, the situation is not good for both teams," said the 62-year-old coach.
Based on information provided by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), the national team will undergo training here, while Oman will be trained at the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council Stadium (MBPJ).
Group D saw Oman, Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia share six points on the top three positions in the group on goal difference, while Taiwan finished bottom with no points.
Malaysia will meet Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek on June 6 and finish their group stage match against Taiwan in Bukit Jalil on June 11.
-- BERNAMA
