Fearing for players' safety, S'gor pulls out of Charity Shield match

Citing concerns over player safety, the Selangor football team has withdrawn from the scheduled Charity Shield game against Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri tomorrow.

This comes after an acid attack against the team’s player Faisal Halim last Sunday, while two other top players - Akhyar Rashid and Safiq Rahim - were also attacked.

Akhyar was assaulted and robbed in Terengganu while assailants damaged Safiq’s car in Johor.

“After much deliberation and detailed discussions with parties involved following a series of criminal incidents and recent threats involving several players and team officials within just 72 hours, the club has reluctantly decided to not participate in the match,” Selangor FC said in a statement late last night.

“Given the uncertainties surrounding the club, Selangor would like to emphasise that the team’s safety is of utmost importance and we take all forms of violence and threats seriously.

“We will not compromise on matters relating to the team’s safety. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” it added.

Match postponement request rejected

It is understood that the Malaysian Football League had rejected Selangor’s request to postpone the match and decided to proceed as scheduled.

In response, JDT CEO Alistair Edwards expressed his team’s disappointment with Selangor’s withdrawal.

This is as it was done despite assurances from the inspector-general of police and the Johor police chief that the safety of the teams, players, and fans would be prioritised, and that police presence would be tripled to 1,500 personnel, he said.

“We vehemently condemn the incident involving Faisal and the alleged threats received by some members at Selangor FC but we hope Selangor FC can reconsider their decision… as this could set a precedent of teams pulling out because they feel unsafe, and that too despite assurances from the police,” he said in a statement.

He shared that JDT had been attacked in hostile environments in Pahang, Perak and Kelantan in the past but still travelled and played those matches under increased police presence.

“Selangor (FC) has never been attacked at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium. In fact, their team and fans were escorted by police into the stadium and to their buses in previous matches.

“While the recent incidents involving Akhyar, Faisal and Safiq are concerning, we must place our trust in authorities to not only investigate the cases but also to protect our safety and ensure the running of the 2024-25 football season,” he added.

Yesterday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department director Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain dismissed claims shared on social media of a grand conspiracy involving politicians, police and gang leaders, behind the attacks against the three footballers.

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