PETALING JAYA: Persib Bandung coach Bojan Hodak has voiced his frustration over the condition of the Petaling Jaya Stadium pitch, describing it as unsuitable for top-level football ahead of their AFC Champions League Two showdown against Selangor tonight.
“Petaling Jaya Stadium – they play here, they make it look nice from outside, but from my point of view, what I see, the pitch is really bad,” said the Croatian, who has won numerous trophies in Malaysia with Kelantan, Johor Darul Ta’zim, and Kuala Lumpur.
“This is something most people in Malaysia do not understand – the most important thing is the field.
“You are playing the game on the field, not what’s surrounding you. Unfortunately, I’m not in charge of the pitch.”
Despite his criticism, Hodak’s side will still be favourites heading into the Group D clash.
The Indonesian giants, fondly known as Pangeran Biru (Blue Prince), are unbeaten after three matches and top the table with seven points.
Persib defeated Selangor 2-0 in Bandung on Oct 23, with goals from Adam Alis and French striker Andrew Jung, and will look to repeat that result in Malaysia.
Hodak, though, is wary of complacency and insists that Persib must continue improving with each game.
Persib are expected to name a near full-strength line-up, with Hodak hoping his side can overcome both the conditions and Selangor’s home advantage to stay on course for the knockout rounds.
