PETALING JAYA: Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has expressed his disappointment with the Malaysian Football League’s (MFL) decision to proceed with the Charity Shield game, today.
In a statement by the Selangor Royal Office via Facebook, today, Sultan Sharafuddin also expressed his full support over Selangor FC’s decision not to participate in the Charity Shield game against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor.
The decision was made following an acid attack against the team’s player Faisal Halim last Sunday.
The Selangor ruler who also serves as the patron of Selangor FC, Istana Alam Shah also expressed his believe that it is right for the team not to join the tournament following several life-threatening incidents involving players and officials.
“His Majesty has proclaimed that the priority now is the life and safety of players and not the winning of trophies.
“Aside from the issue of safety, the morale of the players is still affected following the acid attack on Faisal, the Selangor FC winger.
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“His Majesty supports the eradication of violence in sports in any form and wants all parties to understand that the seriousness of the incident involving a player’s life is unprecedented, considering that it is so close to the date of the match,“ the Selangor Royal Office stated.
The Royal Office added that His Majesty also stated that Selangor FC is ready to face any follow-up action from the decision to not participate in the match.
Selangor FC in a statement last night said the club had reluctantly decided not to participate in the match after much deliberation and detailed discussions with the parties involved following a series of criminal incidents and recent threats involving several players and team officials.
