KUALA LUMPUR – Former Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) president Khalid Abdul Samad has slammed the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for its “unsympathetic” approach in imposing harsh penalties on Selangor due to the team’s withdrawal from the Charity Shield match against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
Selangor’s withdrawal came after citing security issues following an acid attack against Selangor FC winger Faisal Halim.
Criticising MFL’s decision to impose harsh penalties on Selangor FC, Khalid said the management body should be more considerate of the situation’s complexities.
“I empathise and understand why (Selangor FC) did not want to take part in the match. (The attack against Faisal) was a traumatic experience (as) it wasn’t just any normal injury,” Khalid told Scoop.
“Since the intention and purpose behind the attack wasn’t clear, everybody in Selangor FC was very worried and scared because (such attacks) could have happened to them anywhere.
“MFL should look at this as a special case because it’s something that has never happened before, (instead of employing) a very high-handed and unsympathetic approach to the whole problem,” the Federal Territories Amanah chief added.
Khalid also labelled MFL’s penalties on the Red Giants, which include a RM100,000 fine and a deduction of three points in the 2024-2025 Super League competition, as “unfair” and “insufficiently sympathetic”.
Asserting that there should have been no issues with postponing the season opener Charity Shield game, the former minister questioned the logic behind MFL’s supposed punishment of Selangor FC.
At the same time, MFL also announced yesterday that the upcoming Super League match between Selangor FC and JDT at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium will be played without spectators.
Meanwhile, long-time Selangor FC supporter Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad, popularly known as Altimet, has since offered to donate half of his intellectual property royalty collection this year to aid the club’s payment of MFL’s fine.
Altimet, who is also the Lembah Jaya assemblyman, produced the song Langgam Gendang Perang in 2022, which has become an anthem for the team’s supporters. – June 26, 2024