WILL Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) face any consequences for withdrawing from the Asian Champions League (ACL) though it is no fault of their own?
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are expected to refer the matter to their competitions or disciplinary committee.
The Southern Tigers had to pull out from their Group G matches in the ACL on Nov 19-Dec 4 after the National Security Council did not approve of their travel to Doha due to Covid-19.
This has left Malaysian fans disappointed as they were looking to Super League champions JDT, winners of the AFC Cup in 2015, to put up a good show in the ACL.
AFC general secretary Datuk Windsor Paul John said the Asian body are focused more on the smooth running of the ACL matches in Doha following JDT's withdrawal.
He said JDT's earlier match points would not count any more and AFC have issued a new schedule. Earlier, JDT were second in Group G with three points from one win and one loss. They lost their opening match 5-1 to an Andres Iniesta-inspired Vissel Kobe from Japan in February but rebounded to beat South Korea's Suwon Bluewings 2-1
"What happens to JDT is not the concern because we still have time but the paperwork such as the appeal letter and government instruction for not approving JDT's travel will be submitted to the competitions or disciplinary committee. It will be up to the legal team to decide which category this falls under," said Windsor.
After JDT's pullout, AFC said in a statement that their matches were considered null and void, and that the points and goals would not be taken into consideration when the final rankings in the group stage are determined.
So, with JDT's withdrawal from the ACL, will it affect the points that Malaysia has earned in previous years for an additional place in AFC competitions?
To this, Windsor said there is no need to worry. "It's got nothing to do with the MA (member associations') slots because that belong to them.
"We calculate based on points earned and the criteria of how it is determined. But it is too early to speak about this because at the end of the day, it may be nothing."
The worst-case scenario for JDT is being fined up to US$50,000 (RM207,000) and banned for two years from applying for an AFC club licence. The FA of Malaysia have appealed to AFC on grounds that JDT's withdrawal is due to "extraordinary circumstances".