Football

Hamidin wants to protect M-Leaguers

The coronavirus has shaken up Malaysian football, and the signs are that the game will continue to suffer until Covid-19 is beaten.

Last season, several competitions were cancelled with only the shortened Super League and Premier League completed.

Sadly, Covid-19 has turned Malaysian football into a lifeless industry.

Many teams are struggling to keep afloat while the financially-healthy ones have cut down on expenses to absorb losses.

The Covid-19 vaccines, with the first batch set to arrive next month, is seen as a saviour not only to sports, but also the general public and the Malaysian economy.

So, should athletes, in general, receive the Covid-19 jabs first along with the frontliners and vulnerable people?

It's an argumentative question in these trying times as everyone would want to be vaccinated first in the hope of protection from the pandemic, especially with Malaysia recording an average of 3,000 cases daily in the last two weeks.

FRONT OF THE LINE

Sport officials in Indonesia and Singapore have said that their athletes, including footballers, should be at the "front of the queue" while professional teams in American football, basketball, baseball and football are willing to buy the vaccines.

The new M-League season is supposed to start on Feb 26.

However, it is now in jeopardy following the extension of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to Feb 4 in Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Sabah, Kelantan, as well as the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan.

Under the MCO, all sports activities, including training sessions, except for elite athletes based at the National Sports Council centres, are not allowed.

Football clubs normally need at least five weeks to prepare for a new season, and the MCO extension does not augur well for the M-League.

HOPE AND WISHES

However, there is still hope for Malaysian football if two wishes are granted by the government. That the league still starts on schedule or face just a slight delay if teams in MCO and Conditional MCO areas are allowed to have contact training immediately and about 2,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines are put aside for teams and officials.

Getting national players vaccinated is a sensible move as they will be involved in the pre-World Cup/Asian Cup in March or June.

FAM have been working tirelessly in coming up with proposals, Covid-19 guidelines and other initiatives to convince the government to allow training sessions and football matches.

Football activities around the world are still going on despite the pandemic. The English Premier League and other top leagues have gone on under strict guidelines, but not in Malaysia.

HAMIDIN'S EFFORTS

FAM president Datuk Hamidin Amin is under intense pressure, and he has been working around the clock with his officials to get things going.

The former banker hopes FAM's efforts will pay off.

"With virtually no football for the past year, it has negatively impacted the game as many have lost their income. It affects not only players but their dependents as well.

"My heart also goes out to the others who indirectly earn their living from football, such as traders, hawkers and stewards.

"It's time that football is seen as an industry that contributes to nation-building and gross domestic income.

"Making venues safe is our utmost priority, and we will agree to whatever standard operating procedures (SOPs) imposed by the authorities just to get football going," said Hamidin.

Responding to a Timesport article titled Fast tracking vaccines for athletes, Hamidin said FAM had submitted an appeal (last week) to the Health Ministry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry for vaccination help.

"In this way, we believe it will help kickstart football and its supporting industries.

"However, priority (vaccination) should be given to the frontline workers and vulnerable people. We fully agree that they should be vaccinated ahead of others.

"About 2,000 doses should be sufficient for football, and if this is granted, thousands of people will gain from it. Indirectly, if football starts, it will contribute towards the MCO and other restrictions as people will stay home to watch matches.

"We hope a formula will be derived so that sports personalities can be considered contributors to nation-building.

"Football can help to cheer up the nation which is now affected by the pandemic," Hamidin added.

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