Proposal For New Stadium In Putrajaya Brings Questions And Criticism From Malaysians
Malaysians feel there are bigger priorities for the nation and feared that the stadium would be a white elephant.
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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced good news for Malaysian football fans with an unexpected promise: to build a 10,000-seat stadium in Putrajaya.
The surprise proposal has elicited a lot of scepticism and criticism from Malaysians, as well as questions about the cost, how it would be paid for and the size of the stadium.
AFC said the new stadium, in addition to its existing facility here, the AFC House, Bukit Jalil, will allow Asian football to grow even more.
AFC president Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the AFC House had been a focal point for football development through various courses, workshops and seminars in the technical and refereeing areas.
With this new AFC Stadium, we have the potential to do even more.
AFC president Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa on the benefits of a new stadium.
Echoing the sentiments of the AFC President is FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was in Putrajaya to attend the 11th AFC Executive Committee meeting.
The Swiss-Italian said it is an essential investment for Asian football and congratulated the AFC leadership on the proposal.
It is a great project, and I am really proud and happy that we are teaming up through this AFC and Fifa stadium which can mark a new step in the whole very important part of the Asian region.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on why Malaysia need this type of facility.
The stadium’s floor area is approximately 580,000 square feet with a seating capacity of 10,000 and will feature a high-quality FIFA standard football pitch.
READ MORE: [Watch] A Futile Exercise: Draining The Flooded Bukit Jalil Field With A Broom And Dustpan
Other key features include a cafeteria, media room, and a fountain built at the stadium’s entrance.
Football Fans Take Aim
It seems like there is nothing for Malaysia to lose and everything to gain, but Malaysians feel otherwise.
Some questioned why is the stadium capacity so small compared to those of major football clubs.
By FIFA’s standard, stadiums must have a capacity of at least 40,000.
In comparison, the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium in Spain, used by Real Madrid for their youth team, ranked among the world’s smallest with a little over 6,000.
FIFA pon berani buat stadium dgn kapasiti 10K je kat Malaysia ni..standard size stadium team2 di 3rd/4th tier liga inggeris..team mana agaknya yg berebut nk jdkan stad ni home utk saingan liga? 🤭 https://t.co/mZfaVU0QzU
— Ale-Meendro🇲🇾 (@Meeniture) October 18, 2022
Others raised doubts about the stadium’s location and which teams will regularly play there.
The question of stadium maintenance is also on people’s minds, given the nation’s poor track record.
READ MORE: MRCB To Restore And Refurbish Shah Alam Stadium For RM787 Million
Not sure Putrajaya is a great place for the AFC Stadium. Handy for Kuala Lumpur's airports but that's about it. https://t.co/i9gFauAMqn
— John Duerden (@JohnnyDuerden) October 18, 2022
Persoalannya nanti siapa yang akan pakai stadium ni? Di Putrajaya rasanya paling2 pun team bola amatur mcm Putrajaya Wanderers jak yang ada. Kalau nda pun rasanya jadi stadium berkecuali untuk team2 AFC tapi berapa game jak dalam setahun kalau gitu. 🤔 https://t.co/rr9eioCdBC
— hafeizh (@hafeizh29) October 18, 2022
Some are not holding their breath as the idea of a new stadium in Putrajaya has been mooted since 2015.
The completion was set in 2019, but the plan did not materialise.
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