Ariffin Stadium receives AFC's conditional approval, final work is underway.

KUCHING, 30 Sept: The Taha Ariffin Stadium is now one step closer to becoming the official stadium of Kuching City FC (KCFC) in Asian and ASEAN competitions after receiving conditional approval from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and Malaysia Football Association (FAM).

Kuching City FC Executive Chairman, Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said an inspection carried out by the AFC and FAM on 23 September found that the stadium meets most of the criteria set, with only a few improvements to be completed.

"The graduation was conditional because they saw the lights being installed but not fully ready and another was the need for a broadcast room. These are the only two big things we need to do", he told a press conference at Taha Ariffin Stadium, here today.

Commenting further, Fazzrudin said that the light installation work is now at about 90 per cent level and the club is confident it can be completed before the first match on the Asian and ASEAN stage starts.

He said that tomorrow's friendly match against Sabah FC will also be an important test for KCFC, especially in testing the team's readiness and stadium management preparedness ahead of the Asian and ASEAN campaigns.

"We are confident it will be available before 7 October (against Tampine Rovers FC). The broadcasting room will also talk with the Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) to ensure that the facility is available as per AFC requirements", he said.

In addition, Fazzrudin also announced that several other improvements have been made including the provision of host and visitor team dressing rooms, referee rooms, match officials' rooms, toilet facilities as well as safety and comfort aspects of supporters. - TVS