KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov – After being put on a “ventilator” early this week, the prestigious Malaysia Cup suffered a painful “death” on Thursday when the region’s oldest football competition was called off at the quarter-final stage.The Malaysian Football League (MFL) board of directors decided that it was best to cancel the competition after the National Security Council (NSC) postponed it indefinitely due to the rising Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the country.
There were several other factors that contributed to the decision with financial implications standing out like a sore thumb as most contracts of the players and coaches end at the end of this month (November).
The teams cannot afford to sign new contracts as it will be costly to extend it while at the same time the players, both local and foreign as well as the coaches may move on to greener pastures.
The hardstand taken by the NSC meant the appeal sent by the MFL found no merit to extend a lifeline for the competition to be completed.
The quarter-final matches were scheduled for Nov 12-13 while the semi-finals were slotted for Nov 17 and the final on Nov 22.
With the cancellation of the Malaysia Cup, the MFL board also handed Terengganu the AFC Cup slot as the second team from Malaysia after finishing third in this year’s Malaysian Super League. Runners-up Kedah is the other team in the AFC Cup.
Seven-time Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim will compete in the AFC Champions League.
The Malaysia Cup quarter-final matches involved Johor Darul Takzim vs Kuala Lumpur; Kedah vs Selangor; Terengganu vs Perak and Penang vs UiTM.
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