National Stadium pitch not ready for top events
-
SportSG tells Sports Hub: We won't pay until pitch at National Stadium is ready for top events
SINGAPORE - Sport Singapore (SportSG), the governing body for Singapore sports, maintains that it will not pay for the Singapore Sports Hub until the National Stadium pitch is of a standard befitting of the magnitude of the sports events being held at the new arena.
In a statement released by chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin on Tuesday, SportSG said that the pitch remains one of the key deliverables that the SportsHub Pte Ltd (SHPL) has yet to fulfil, in spite of promises and assurances given in the past to the government and the public.
It added: "SHPL's recent explanations for the failure have given the Asean Football Federation and the Football Association of Singapore cause for concern that the National Stadium will not be ready to host the upcoming Suzuki Cup that is due to start on Nov 23.
"The common knowledge that the busy events calendar for the National Stadium continues to disrupt and complicate the growth and maintenance of the pitch must be addressed decisively. This would be critical to any efforts to contend with the purported micro-climate within the stadium. Sport Singapore will hold SHPL accountable for the outcomes of their next actions. We cannot be paying for what has not been delivered.
"Singapore had been confirmed as the co-host for the AFF Suzuki Cup since April 4, 2013. We expect that our partners at SHPL will do everything necessary to ensure that the pitch and National Stadium would meet the AFF's requirements and standards for the Suzuki Cup."
Here is Sport Singapore's chief executive Mr Lim Teck Yin's statement to the media in full:
“The International Football Friendly between Brazil and Japan provided a star-studded extravaganza that enthralled the capacity crowd. As expected, the great pity was the sub-standard readiness of the pitch, which, while playable, was far from being satisfactory for an international match at any level befitting of our new National Stadium. This is a significant disappointment and has led to public outcry since the match between the Singapore Selection and Juventus till now.
The pitch remains one of the key deliverables that the SportsHub Pte Ltd (SHPL) has yet to fulfil in spite of promises and assurances given in the past to the government and the public. SHPL’s recent explanations for the failure have given the AFF and FAS cause for concern that the National Stadium will not be ready to host the upcoming Suzuki Cup that is due to start on 23rd November 2014.
The common knowledge that the busy events calendar for the National Stadium continues to disrupt and complicate the growth and maintenance of the pitch must be addressed decisively. This would be critical to any efforts to contend with the purported micro-climate within the stadium. Sport Singapore will hold SHPL accountable for the outcomes of their next actions. We cannot be paying for what has not been delivered.
Singapore had been confirmed as the co-host for the AFF Suzuki Cup since 4th April 2013. Knowing what they now know, we expect that our partners at SHPL will do everything necessary to ensure that the pitch and National Stadium would meet the AFF’s requirements and standards for the Suzuki Cup.”
-
I heard they holding concert there?
-
we just lost face in front of japan and brazil soccer team and fans
-
ya, the pitch is so sandy
-
football was never top of the list of priorities for the new sports hub. the developers gotta make $$$$... other events can generate higher incomes than football...