Rhinos get clean bill of health ahead of crucial match

PETALING JAYA: Despite the surge in Covid-19 cases in Sabah, it is all systems go for the state’s Super League match against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium today.

Sabah’s head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto said they have adhered to the standard operating procedures (SOP) and all the players have been tested negative for Covid-19.

The team had two tests this week, before and after arriving in Johor Baru.

Furthermore, the team flew in via a chartered flight to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection.

Kurniawan said the players even obeyed the instructions to reduce any activities outside the house following the sharp increase in cases in the eastern part of Sabah.

“Everything is still in good condition so far. None of our players has been infected by Covid-19. We have followed the SOP compliance strictly,” said Kurniawan.

“Before we left, we did a swab test on Monday and the result – all negative – and we did it again as soon as we got here.

“Thank God, both results are negative, and we have no problems to continue with the match against JDT as planned before. We are hoping for a win or at least a draw.”

Sabah are currently ninth in the league with nine points and a draw would reduce their chances of relegation.

Earlier, Melaka had applied to the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for a postponement of their match against Kedah as they had to undergo Covid-19 quarantine after returning from Sabah on Sept 28.

MFL subsequently announced that the Kedah and Melaka match, which were supposed to take place today, will now be played at the Darul Aman Stadium on Sunday.