KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has no plans so far to postpone its M-League games in the wake of the Covid-19 situation, but will consider playing games behind closed doors.
Its chief executive officer Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan said deferring the league competition was no easy task as it involved various other parties with interests as well.
He said MFL may consider having games without fans as an early preventive measure to help contain the spread of the virus.
“MFL is constantly monitoring the Covid-19 situation and we have early measures in place. MFL will act accordingly with the latest directives issued by the Health Ministry (MOH).
“The situation is still under control in Malaysia so there is no point in postponing the league for now. To postpone the league is not an easy decision (to make), but maybe we will get teams to play in empty stadiums for a start,” he told when contacted by Bernama today.
Yesterday, the Football Association of Thailand announced that all Thai League matches will be postponed until April 17 due to concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thailand’s move follows similar measures taken by Japan, who have also postponed their J-League matches until March 15.
Prior to that, China and South Korea were the first two nations to postpone their football leagues following the outbreak while Vietnam decided on a move to play their league games behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Ab Ghani said all competing teams had been directed to ensure their supporters are briefed on Covid-19 preventive measures needed to be taken, including the use of face masks, when attending games.
“This directive had already been issued much earlier as a preventive measure to contain the (Covid-19) infection and for the supporters’ safety,” he said. — Bernama
