Malaysia-Hong Kong Match May Be Cancelled

SHAH ALAM (Selangor, Malaysia), Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The Tier 1 international friendly match between Malaysia and Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Stadium on Oct 15 is at risk of being cancelled due to ongoing anti-government protests in the Special Administrative Region. Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam said the decision on whether the match would be cancelled or otherwise would be based on a joint agreement between FAM and Hong Kong's football governing body which places a high priority on safety. However, Stuart did not rule out the possibility that the match would take place at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur if Hong Kong agrees. "Thus far, there is no 'red flag' (high risk) ' for the national team as they (Hong Kong) did not face safety issues in a recent World Cup qualifying match. But the situation can change at any time, and FAM and the Hong Kong Football Association are aware of this. "In the joint agreement, we agree to cancel the match if the conditions are unacceptable and the other option is to have the match in Malaysia with their consent," he said when met by reporters here Tuesday. The anti-government protests have been ongoing for several months following the introduction of a new amendment to the government's extradition bill, which, if approved, would allow local authorities to detain and extradite criminal fugitives who are wanted in territories with which Hong Kong does not currently have extradition agreements, including Taiwan and China. The protesters were angry that the bill would subject Hong Kong citizens to mainland Chinese jurisdiction, undermining the autonomy of the region and its civil liberties. Even though Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam withdrew the bill on Sept 4, there has been no end to the protests, among others allegedly due to police brutality against protesters. The match against Hong Kong is supposed to be closing act of October for Tan Cheng Hoe's squad in their attempt to improve Malaysia's world ranking, which currently is 158th place. The Harimau Malaya is also lined up to play Sri Lanka in another Tier 1 international friendly match at the National Stadium on Oct 5, before playing Vietnam in their third match of Group G of the 2022 World Cup / 2023 Asia Cup qualifier at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Oct 10. -- BERNAMA