PETALING JAYA: Negri Sembilan have demanded that they be awarded a walkover win following the last-minute postponement of their Super League opener against Kuala Lumpur.
The club said they took note of the Malaysian Football League’s (MFL) decision to call off the match, which had been scheduled on Saturday (Aug 22), but expressed deep regret that the season-opening fixture could not proceed as planned given the eleventh-hour timing of the call.
As hosts, Negri said all preparations for the match, including logistics, facilities, medical teams and security, had been fully completed, at considerable cost to the club’s management.
The club added that the postponement had also badly disappointed thousands of loyal supporters of the team.
According to Negri’s own records and estimates, around 5,000 fans were affected, who had already purchased tickets in advance, as well as others who had planned to buy tickets at the stadium on the day.
The club said any matters relating to ticket refunds or the status of tickets already purchased would be communicated in due course through official channels.
"As this matter was entirely beyond our control and in no way originated from our side, Negri firmly demands that a free walkover victory be awarded to Negri Sembilan," the club said in a statement.
With the match unable to proceed, Negri said their squad would still make use of the completed facilities by holding an open training session at the stadium this evening.
As a gesture of appreciation to supporters, the club’s management said fans would be welcome to enter the stadium to attend the session.
Negri apologised to all supporters who had arranged their schedules and travel to head down to the stadium to show their support, and said the club remained committed to defending the rights of both the club and their fans.
