PETALING JAYA: Selangor have decided to withdraw from the Charity Shield game against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri tomorrow.
The club issued a statement on their official social media pages late last night.
Their decision just came hours after the Malaysian Football League rejected the club’s request to postpone the match and decided to proceed with the Charity Shield game as scheduled.
Selangor did not want to take part in the Charity Shield as one of their main players Faisal Halim is recovering in hospital following an acid attack on Sunday. The club said they were concerned with the players’ safety and did not want to play in the opening match of the Malaysian League.
Besides Faisal, two other players – Akhyar Rashid and Safiq Rahim were also attacked.
Akhyar was assaulted and robbed in Terengganu while Safiq had his car’s rear windscreen damaged by assailants.
“After much deliberation and detailed discussions with various parties, following a series of criminal incidents and recent threats involving several players and team officials within just 72 hours, the club have reluctantly decided to not participate in the match,” said the statement from the Red Giants.
“Given the uncertainties surrounding the club at present, Selangor would like to emphasise that the safety of the team is of utmost importance and we take all forms of violence and threats seriously.
“We will not compromise on matters relating to the safety of the team. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”
