KUALA LUMPUR: Football critic Sadek Mustaffa has expressed disagreement with His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim regarding the Malaysian Football League's (MFL) decision to reduce Selangor FC's fine for withdrawing from the Charity Shield-cum-Super League match on May 10.
In a social media post on Thursday, Tunku Ismail said MFL's decision sets a bad precedent, suggesting that any club violating the rules might seek intervention from their respective rulers.
The Regent of Johor noted that he neither issued a letter nor made a statement when JDT was fined hundreds of thousands of ringgit and he was banned for six months from all football activities in 2013.
Sadek, a senior lecturer in Sports Science and Recreation at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), argued that the comparison was unfair, as the circumstances surrounding Selangor FC and JDT's fines were different.
"JDT were fined because their fans lit flares. It's not the same as Selangor FC's refusal to play the Charity Shield match," Sadek said.
"Selangor FC appealed to MFL to postpone the match following the acid attack on their player Faisal Halim. This is an unprecedented incident. Additionally, there were threats against team officials."
"How could the Selangor team focus on playing a match knowing their teammate had suffered horrifying burns? Selangor FC had a valid reason to request the postponement of the Charity Shield.
"One club's fans committed an offense during a match, and another did not want to play due to a highly sensitive situation. It's a different situation and cannot be compared at all."
Following Selangor FC's withdrawal from the Charity Shield against JDT on May 10, MFL initially fined Selangor FC RM100,000, docked three points, and ordered them to play their home match against JDT behind closed doors. Selangor was also required to pay MFL and JDT for losses incurred.
The penalties sparked anger among Selangor FC supporters and experts, who considered them excessive.
On Thursday, MFL reduced the fine to RM60,000 and revoked the three-point deduction after the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, voiced his concerns.
However, compensation payments to JDT and MFL for losses and administrative costs remain.
Fans will now be allowed into the MBPJ Stadium when Selangor FC face JDT in a Super League match in November.