PETALING JAYA, Nov 10 — Media practitioners and Malaysian fans might have to abandon their plans to head to Singapore for the 2020 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2020, scheduled to take place from December 5.

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar said this was based on the information they had received so far.

He said fans and media covering the event would have to undergo long periods of quarantine, including 14 days in Malaysia before entering the republic, and another 14 days immediately after their arrival.

"They (the organisers) are also not allowing the media to meet players and team officials due to the sports bubble method that will be implemented there. Players’ movements will be limited to travel between their hotel and training grounds, and to their match venues, subject to the results of their Covid-19 screenings.

"Due to the quarantine restrictions, it is likely that the only fans (allowed) would be local fans,” he said at the launch of the G-Shock and FAM limited edition watch at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here today.

Mohd Saifuddin added that all competing nations would be given a virtual briefing by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) regarding the matter on November 14, which was a positive sign.

According to him, FAM would also raise the matter at the briefing to ensure that the media and fans could have the opportunity to go to Singapore for the championship.

"We don’t only want the media, but we want to have the fans along, as it will motivate the players and team,” he said.

For the 2020 Asian Cup, Malaysia is in Group B, and will open their campaign against Cambodia on December 6, followed by Laos (December 9) and are slated to meet 2018 champions Vietnam (December 12) and Indonesia (December 19), to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

In a separate development, the FAM launched the second limited edition Harimau Malaya watch, a joint collaboration with Casio G-Shock, which will be sold at RM699 exclusively via an online game.

Those interested to own the limited edition watch will need to take part in the online game at the website www.gshockpenaltykick.com.my that started from yesterday till November 23.

A total of 680 individuals with the highest scores in the online game will be given priority to purchase the watch. — Bernama