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.”
ST
