KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) has decided to cancel the Tier One international friendly between Bahrain and Malaysia scheduled to take place at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town on March 21.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam in a statement today said the decision by BFA follows the latest directive issued by the Bahrain government on Friday, to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 infection.
He said the BFA had to comply with the instructions of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Health, which restricted movements in and out of Bahrain, also involving individuals from or close to countries with Covid-19 infections, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Iran.
Stuart explained that FAM received a letter of apology from BFA secretary-general Ebrahim Saad Al Buainain over the cancellation.
He said FAM would look to alternative preparations for the Harimau Malaya squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup / 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai on March 26, and Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, five days later (March 31).
“The latest developments on the preparations of Tan Cheng Hoe’s squad will be announced from time to time,” he said.
Malaysia are now in second place in the Group G qualifying round, with nine points after five games, and they have a good chance of heading into the final round of the 2023 Asian Cup in China with positive results in the final three games.
The Harimau Malaya’s final Group G match is against Thailand in Bangkok on June 9.
The last time Malaysia qualified for the Asia Cup was in 2007, as co-hosts with three other Asean countries, namely Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. — Bernama
