KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Selangor FC's board of directors member Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar hopes the punishment imposed on the Red Giants by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) will not be too burdensome.
This comes after the club decided to withdraw from the Charity Shield match against Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, scheduled for tonight.
The Football Association of Selangor's (FAS) deputy president acknowledged that all decisions lie within the MFL's jurisdiction but hopes that any punishment will align with the regulations governing Malaysian football.
"... my hope is that, if possible, any punishment should not be too burdensome for the club. But it depends on the relevant authorities, as this is under MFL's jurisdiction.
"If possible, let us not escalate the situation. Let us calm things down so that we can move forward. Let us leave this behind so we can look ahead," he told the press after visiting Malaysia's national team and Selangor FC winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim, who underwent his third surgery yesterday evening, today.
Shahril also denied that the withdrawal was due to other players being injured and emphasised that only Faisal was unavailable.
On Sunday (May 5), the local football scene was shocked by the incident in which Faisal was seriously injured from an acid attack at a shopping centre in Petaling Jaya.
In a statement yesterday, MFL said the Red Giants' decision was communicated in an official letter, thus granting the Southern Tigers a 'walkover' victory with a 3-0 scoreline.
JDT also received three points in the league standings, as the Charity Shield match contributes to the Super League points tally for the 2024/2025 season.
It said that the MFL's board of directors will be consulted on other matters related to Selangor FC's withdrawal.
On Tuesday (May 7), it requested to postpone the Charity Shield match after their star player Faisal was attacked by two unidentified individuals who doused him with acid.
However, MFL rejected Selangor FC's request yesterday after receiving safety assurances from the police, who would beef up security on match day.
It then announced its decision to withdraw, which also received the consent of the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj.
— Bernama
