Selangor FC is hunting for a new home. Their iconic Shah Alam stadium, with its inimitable atmosphere, has sadly failed its third safety inspection.
Following visits to the stadium on January 10th followed by a second inspection (Feb 21st) and the third visit (Feb 28th), the roofing was found to be unsafe for spectators, broadcast crews and teams.
Simultaneously, Petaling Jaya City Council stadium (MBPJ Stadium) is also not available to both PJ City (their home ground) as well as Selangor, with the stadium undergoing upgrading.
MFL chief executive officer, Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan said the body had informed PJ City Football Club and the Football Association of Selangor (FAS) on Wednesday and Friday respectively.
“MFL has decided that the stadium could not be used until the roofing is completely repaired and received the safety assurance from Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) and Darul Ehsan Facilities Management Sdn Bhd (DEFM).
“The drastic announcement was made after taking into consideration aspects of preparation and safety of the visiting teams, supporters, live telecast, media and commercial,” he said in a statement.
MFL has made a wise decision: safety must come first. However, this begs the question: what is the stadium management doing, and how can this happen to one of Malaysian football’s best venues?
Selangor remains Malaysia’s most successful team, with 33 Malaysia Cups, 7 M League titles and 5 FA Cups. This year could see Johor Darul Ta’zim match their League titles.
In contrast to Selangor, which is showing signs of a revival since 2019 and beat Pahang in their season opener this weekend, JDT has no stadium woes: they just inaugurated South East Asia’s best facility, Stadium Sultan Ibrahim, as their new home.