SHAH ALAM, May 9 — Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj, has given consent and fully supported Selangor FC’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 Charity Shield match against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) scheduled to take place tomorrow (May 10) at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri.
Sultan Sharafuddin, in a post on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page, expressed his disappointment when the Malaysian Football League (MFL) rejected Selangor FC’s application to postpone the match.
As the Patron of Selangor FC, His Royal Highness believes that, following several recent life-threatening incidents involving players and officials, the decision for the Selangor FC team to withdraw from the match, which is also the first action of the 2024 edition of the Super League, is appropriate.
He said that the priority at the moment is the lives and safety of the players, not to win the cup.
Sultan Sharafuddin also emphasised that not only the security issue but the morale of the team, which is still affected by the acid attack incident involving national winger Faisal Halim, should also be taken into account.
Therefore, His Royal Highness also supports solidarity in combating violence in sports, in any form.
Sultan Sharafuddin wants all parties to understand the seriousness of incidents involving the lives of players, not to mention that it occurred very close to the date of the match.
He said that Selangor FC is ready to face any action following the decision to withdraw from the match.
On May 7, Selangor FC forwarded an official application to the MFL to postpone tomorrow’s 2024/2025 season-opening Charity Shield match against JDT.
Selangor FC, in a statement on its official website yesterday, confirmed the withdrawal and said that the club was informed of the MFL’s decision to continue with the Charity Shield match against JDT.
— Bernama
