Faisal Halim suffered an acid attack before the Charity Shield. — Selangor FC
PETALING JAYA: A day after an angry outburst by the Sultan of Selangor, the Malaysian Football League (MFL) have eased up on their punishment for the state team’s withdrawal from the Charity Shield match against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
The MFL board of directors decided to reduce Selangor’s fine to RM60,000, down from the RM100,000 that they ordered on Monday.
“This reconsideration was made as a show of respect and love for the orders of Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah,” the governing body said in a statement yesterday.
The MFL also did a U-turn on the planned three-point deduction for Selangor in the Super League and the punishment will not be imposed.
Staying sharp: Selangor players at a training session.
“However, if Selangor repeat the offence, the case will then be brought to the disciplinary board and a stricter punishment can be imposed,” MFL said.
A ban on spectators to the next Super League match against JDT at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium has also been lifted. The compensation payments for losses incurred by JDT and MFL however, will still be maintained.
“MFL will collect information and costs submitted by JDT and the MFL secretariat before submitting it to Selangor for further review and discussion,” they said.
On Wednesday, Sultan Sharafuddin, in a strongly worded statement, slammed MFL for the harsh fine, adding that not allowing spectators to attend the match between Selangor and JDT at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium was absurd and excessive.
He said that if he were leading the Selangor Football Association, he would not hesitate the team out of the Super League.
MFL added that Selangor can still appeal the decision, and have three days to do so from yesterday as stated in the M-League manual. Selangor had decided to not play in the Charity Shield on May 10, after winger Faisal Halim suffered an acid attack five days earlier.
