Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Idris ibni Sultan Ibrahim, took to his Instagram this week to publicly express his displeasure over the current poorly-managed condition of football pitches in the country.
In his statement posted on Instagram Story earlier this week, the royal figure took some shots at a few football clubs who appear to be looking superior on social media and in public, but didn’t care much about investing to upgrade to a better quality pitch.
“You are so eager to posts stuff on social media, appear on TV, in clubs, and all other platforms talking about football, while acting like a pro. Ironically, you guys are still using cow grasses for your football fields?” TMJ opened his long post.
“In neighbouring countries, they’ve been changing their grasses for years. But here (in Malaysia), everyone acts like professionals, but their mentality remains at switching their seats (seating position) or maybe building a gym,” the Crown Prince of Johor continued.
“The most expensive price for one field is RM1.4 million, while the cheapest is RM890K including the drainage system. Won’t you be able to afford it after stealing the government’s money? You can afford to buy imported players, but you can’t afford to manage a field at a much cheaper price, and at the same time, you still have the audacity to speak like a pro,” TMJ further expressed.
In his next post, the former Football Association Malaysia (FAM) chairman pointed out that football pitch is a long-term investment and should be emphasised by the parties involved. “The construction cost for the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium football pitch is RM1.3 million, including drainage. It took about three and a half to four months. The maintenance cost is RM340K a year,” TMJ shared, as reported by Murai.
He added in his post by writing, “The construction cost for the JDT (Johor Darul Ta’zim) training centre is RM896,000, while the maintenance cost is RM190,000 a year. You guys are extremely good at taking the government and the football fans’ money. Every year, you only offer sweet promises and nothing more.”
Do you agree with what TMJ just pointed out here?
Sources: Utusan Malaysia, Murai.
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