KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh believes the issue of waterlogged pitch at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil will not recur after the completion of the upgrading works to the drainage system.

The National Stadium, the home of Harimau Malaya, had undergone upgrading to not only the drainage system but facilities and the pitch too.

"Yes, there won’t be issues like waterlogged pitch like what we had witnessed in a video clip of how the pitch was replaced with a new turf, how the ground was cleared and dug out and new grass laid.

"Yesterday it rained and the Malaysian Stadium Board (PSM) monitors the condition every day to ensure there are no issues of a waterlogged pitch,” she said at the official opening of the new pitch by the Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

The National Stadium will host the Merdeka Cup tournament from October 13 to 17 and certainly serve as the best opportunity to witness the quality of the pitch and the upgrading of facilities.

In June last year, the National Stadium was "flooded” and thus not playable ahead of the Group E 2023 Asia Cup Qualifiers between Malaysia and Bahrain.

A video clip that went viral showed workers clearing the water using cardboards and spates, and their action drew criticism among netizens throughout the country. — Bernama