Fungus at every level

ARTIFICIAL hockey pitches are still a luxury in Malaysia even though they were introduced in early 1970s, and with the first Olympic Games on this surface being held at the 1976 Montreal edition.
There are less than 20 synthetic hockey pitches, which are in working order, and the number is fast dwindling because nobody seem to care about them.
Last weekend’s Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division matches were played at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh so that fans from the Silver State could watch some top action at their doorsteps.
But what a tragedy it turned out to be because when teams arrived days before the weekend fixtures, they found out to their horror that almost the entire surface of itch I and II were covered with black fungus.
The Stadium, named after a former MHF president, were laid barely two years ago for the Azlan Shah Cup but lack of use and poor maintenance is slowly destroying its surface.
Workers tried to wash the surface but it was of little help as players slipped and fell more than they should, and coaches fumed as their well laid plans turned as rotten as the pitch.
The Azlan Shah Stadium is out of bounds for schools as well as club teams, for reasons only known by those running the stadium, and the Premier Division players were left with a bad taste in their mouth, as well as a bag-full of black fungi stuck to their boots, attire and hockey sticks which followed them back home to Kuala Lumpur.
Another pitch that is going to meet the same fate is the newly laid Ministry of Education synthetic pitch in Jalan Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.
The Ministry only allows schools, and recently the national men’s team were allowed to train there on a special MoU. Even university sides, leave alone clubs, are not allowed to make their bookings and this was evident when Universiti Sains Malaysia and UniTen had to play at the adjacent Kuala Lumpur HA pitch on Sunday while the Ministry’s pitch only had crows circling it.
The KLHA pitch is probably the most overused in the country as bookings are full from Am to PM, but is still looks like brand new after six years because of the proper care that it gets.
Now for the icing.
Both the artificial pitches at the Bukit Jalil Hockey Stadium were stripped when work started in May last year.
But up till today, there is hardly any progress at both the dug-up pitches as fingers are pointed at every direction for the delay.
And, MHF official believe both the pitches will not even be ready by the end of this year, and that is why the national men’s team have started training at the Ministry’s pitch while the MHF secure the playing rights to the Tun Razak Stadium.
The Petaling Jaya Municipal Council, as well as three pitches up north, one in the East Coast and one in Johor Baru have also crumbled or are only breeding fungi, instead of talent for the nation.