Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. — KK SHAM/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has expressed his full support for Selangor FC's decision to not participate in the Charity Shield game against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri.
ALSO READ: Selangor opts out of Charity Shield match
In a statement issued on Thursday (May 9) by Istana Alam Shah, Sultan Sharafuddin also said that he is disappointed with the Malaysian Football League’s decision to proceed with the Charity Shield game scheduled to take place on Friday (May 10)
Istana Alam Shah added that as the patron of Selangor FC, Sultan Sharafuddin is of the opinion that it is right for the team to not join the tournament following several life-threatening incidents involving players and officials.
"His Majesty has proclaimed that the priority now is the life and safety of players and not the winning of trophies," said Istana Alam Shah.
It added that Sultan Sharafuddin said that aside from the issue of safety, the morale of the players is still affected following the acid attack on Selangor FC winger Faisal Halim.
ALSO READ: Selangor Sultan condemns acid attack on footballer Faisal Halim
"His Majesty supports the eradication of violence in sports in any form and wants all parties to understand that the seriousness of the incident involving a player's life is unprecedented, considering that it is so close to the date of the match," said Istana Alam Shah.
"His Majesty also states that Selangor FC is ready to face any follow-up action from the decision to not participate in the match," it added.
