Organisers ‘shut down’ M-League indefinitely
IN an unprecedented move, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) and Malaysian Football League (MFL) have decided to suspend all football matches, effective March 16, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The matches affected are the Super League, Premier League, M3 League, M4 League, Youth Cup and the Malaysia Premier Futsal League.
FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin announced the decision after an emergency meeting with representatives from the National Sports Institute and Health Ministry yesterday.
FAM and MFL also sought the views of the participating teams and sponsors of the M-League before arriving at the “very difficult” decision.
However in view of the preparations and travel plans by many of the teams for the March 14-15 fixtures, this weekend’s matches will be played as scheduled.
But these matches will have to be played behind closed doors, which means no fan will be allowed to enter the stadium.
“The decision is made for the welfare of the players, teams and fans who are directly involved in football arenas in Malaysia.
“We have to put the health interest of the fans and those involved in the football industry as priority.
“This suspension will go on until further notice. We will work closely with the Health Ministry and all the related committees on when we can resume the competitions,” said Hamidin.
FAM have set no timeline as to when the M-League can resume, and the national body would not speculate on the possibility of the entire 2020 season being called off.
The suspension of the MLeague came after many countries across the world called off sports events due to the Covid-19 pandemic,
Hamidin also confirmed that the national team would not be seeking to play any friendly matches in the upcoming international windows.
The Asian Football Confederation and FIFA had earlier announced that the joint 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup qualifiers have been postponed to unspecified dates.
This has led to national coach Tan Cheng Hoe looking at other options, including playing an international friendly against New Zealand.
However, the escalation in the coronavirus outbreak has put a stop to Cheng Hoe’s plans, and the national team will not be conducting any training camp at all in this month.