Football

Covid-19 forces Malaysia Cup to be delayed by a week

THE Malaysia Cup has been moved from Oct 17 to Oct 25 following a spike in Covid-19 cases in the country.

Several areas are now under the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO) as Malaysia recorded 489 new cases yesterday.

The Malaysia Football League (MFL) confirmed the postponement of the Malaysia Cup by a week in a statement yesterday.

Initially, the draw for the Malaysia Cup was on Monday, but it will now be held on Oct 19, eight days after the completion of the M-League.

"We made the decision based on the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country," said MFL chief executive Datuk Ghani Hassan yesterday.

However, the Malaysia Cup will hang in the balance if the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise.

The Malaysia Cup, the country's most prestigious football competition, could either be cancelled for the first time since World War Two (1942-47) or played in a single venue this year.

The tournament will comprise 11 Super League and five Premier League teams.

Teams who have qualified so far are Johor Darul Ta'zim, Kedah, Perak, Terengganu, Selangor, Pahang, UiTM, Melaka, PJ City, Sabah, Felda United (Super League), Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lumpur and Kuching FA (Premier League).

MFL also announced that the new date and venue of the match between Sabah and UiTM FC will be announced later as Likas Stadium is unavailable as Kota Kinabalu has been declared a red zone.

"We are in discussion with both teams to reschedule the match," Ghani added.

Matches between Perak and Kedah in Ipoh and Terengganu and Pahang in Kuala Terengganu will now be played on Sunday, instead of Saturday.

This is because Kedah, Perak and Terengganu are fighting for the runners-up spot in the Super League.

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