IPOH, June 23 — Amateur sports clubs in Perak must get the permission of local authorities if they want to train for the selected sports that are allowed by the government, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu today.

He said this when asked to comment on recent reports of amateur clubs, especially football teams, training openly at recreational parks despite the state government initially saying that only professional squads are allowed to conduct practice sessions for selected sports.

"Clubs and associations can conduct their training, but they need to obtain approval from the local government and also from their respective sports organisations.

"This is the additional standard operating procedure (SOP) that has been set by the state government,” he told a press conference.

Ahmad Faizal pointed out that even state professional football team Perak FA are only allowed to conduct fitness training.

"There are two sessions for them. They will be divided into groups. All the players are not allowed to train at the same time at the same place,” he added.

Previously, it was reported that the federal government allowed the public to conduct contactless indoor and outdoor sporting activities from June 15.

On June 8, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that competitions or events involving team sports such as football, rugby or hockey, as well as combat sports such as karate and taekwondo are still not permitted.

However, he said that non-contact training is allowed for such sports, but teams have to follow a three- to five-metre social distancing requirement.

Despite the approval, Ahmad Faizal said on June 10 that only professional teams and athletes are allowed to conduct training sessions in the state.