MSC CEO job more than just watching the grass grow

new Malaysia Stadium Corporation (MSC) chief executive officer must be an all-rounder brave enough to make difficult decisions.

This is the view of sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli when asked about who should fill the vacancy left by Faidz Sanusi.

Yesterday, the Youth and Sports Ministry confirmed that Faidz has left MSC as his contract has run out, and a replacement has yet to be announced.

Faidz, who became MSC CEO in March 2022, was the press secretary to former Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad

Faizal Azumu.

“Whoever fills the CEO role must be an all-rounder with the knowledge required to run all aspects of MSC,” said Pekan yesterday.

“Of course, the new CEO has to understand what it takes to manage the pitch and other facilities, though the job extends much further than that.

“The new CEO has to be knowledgeable in the business aspect to keep revenue flowing in and know how to manage events and handle the media.”

Pekan stressed that the MSC CEO's job is not easy and will require making tough decisions.

“In general, the CEO is the one who leads the company, so he or she has to be brave and be prepared to make smart decisions that can help avoid potential issues,” said Pekan.

“As we all know, it is not easy to run MSC, especially as there are often problems with the pitch at the National Stadium.

“At times, it appeared as if it was the non-executive chairman (Datuk Hans Isaac) who was running MSC, which should not be the case.

“If there are issues, it should be the CEO who answers, not the chairman or the minister.”

During Faidz’s tenure, he oversaw the refurbishment of the National Stadium which, among other things, received an upgraded drainage system and was replanted with zeon zoysia grass.

The National Tennis Centre at Jalan Duta also received a refresh, and a nursery was set up in Bukit Jalil to provide a steady supply of replacement grass to the National Stadium.

In addition to these venues, MSC manages all facilities within the Kuala Lumpur Sports City (Bukit Jalil), Jalan Duta Sports Complex, Bukit Kiara Sports

Complex, and the Shah Alam Sports Complex.

Besides hosting football matches, the National Stadium contributes significant revenue to MSC by hosting concerts. However, the hosting of concerts damages the pitch to a certain extent.

This issue is compounded when concerts are held too close to matches and there is insufficient time for the pitch to be repaired.

New patches of grass transplanted from the nursery need time for their roots to strengthen.