KUALA LUMPUR: The Stadium Board (PSM) have found a winning formula to preserve the turf by hiring Labosport experts to prepare the Bukit Jalil National Stadium (BJNS) field after Ed Sheeran’s concert.
They will resurface the turf for the subsequent March 26 football action involving the 2026 World Cup-Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers between Malaysia and Oman.
According to a statement issued by the board yesterday, as an initial step, they have moved 1,900 square metres of grass from the field to accommodate the stage and audio system tower for yesterday’s Ed Sheeran’s World Tour concert with a Mathematics theme.
“The grass that has been transplanted to a nursery for intensive care including watering and fertilisation to keep the grass healthy at an optimal level,” said the statement.
“The board are ready to draw on spare grass from the nursery, if necessary.
“The existing nursery has a grass area of more than 2,000 square metres to cover the needs of the Bukit Jalill pitch.
Stadium Board issued the statement following concerns from the public about the pitch condition after the concert, considering that the Harimau Malaya squad will use the same pitch for Group D action of the 2026 World Cup-2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on March 26.
According to the board, the experts will immediately dismantle the stage after the concert ends, followed by turf restoration on the field.
The issue of a damaged field surface was previously a hot topic which ruffled football fans and authorities after the UK band, Coldplay concert last Nov 22, which marred the pitch for smooth proceedings of the 2023 Malaysia Cup final. — Bernama
