KUALA LUMPUR – Despite the rising number of Covid-19 infections, Malaysia intends to carry forward with hosting the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers scheduled to begin in June.
However, if the situation does take a turn for the worse, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu is concerned that the first sector to be put on hold would be the sports industry.
“If the situation worsens, I’m afraid that the first thing to be stopped would be sporting events and closure of gyms and so on.
“For now, we stick to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that the events can go along as planned, whereby venues can only hold 50% of its capacity and no food or drinks will be allowed for spectators.
“If we want to move forward, the public and all parties involved have to adhere to the SOPs. But for now, there are no changes, and the matches will go on as planned,” he said during the book launch of football legend Datuk Shukor Salleh at Wisma FAM today.
He added that the under-23 national football squad players and staff currently in Cambodia due to being infected with Covid-19 are doing fine.
“Last I heard it was 12 of them, who were forced to stay there because they were Covid-19 positive.
“From what I know their health is not at a worrying level and we are monitoring their situation together with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to bring them home once they recover,” he added.
Also speaking to members of the media was FAM deputy president Datuk Wira Mohd Yusoff Mahadi, who says Harimau Malaya’s opponents in the qualifiers – Bahrain, Turkmenistan, and Bangladesh – will not be easy.
“We have to be ready, we are playing at home ground and we must use it to our advantage.
“We have played against Bahrain in a friendly before, so we hope that coach Kim Pan-Gon can look at that game and come up with a new strategy for the squad,” he said.
He also said the new coaching staff brought in with Pan-Gon serves as a “new-look” for the team.
Recently, it was announced that Sarawak United boss E. Elavarasan would be the new Harimau Malaya assistant coach.
“Maybe there will be new players chosen to be called up by the coach, so I hope the team can be a good competitor against the teams in our group,” he added.
Harimau Malaya is set to play two Tier 1 international matches against the Philippines on March 23 and Singapore on March 26. – The Vibes, February 25, 2022.
