KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — The financial burden of fans affected by the Covid-19 pandemic were one of the factors the Malaysian Football League (MFL) considered when they decided to retain the ticket prices for the 2021 Malaysia Cup final match scheduled to take place at Bukit Jalil National Stadium this Tuesday.

MFL chief executive officer Stuart Ramalingam said the decision was made by the MFL secretariat and approved by the board of directors at a previous meeting.

"This is a big step that we had to make and now is not the time to hike up ticket prices although the operating costs are very high.

"It’s a rather important consideration at the secretariat level but I feel it was a wise decision as we understand the burdens our fans face,” he said when met by reporters recently.

It will be the first final for the prestigious cup competition, which celebrates its 100th year anniversary, after the 2020 edition was cancelled at the quarterfinal stage due to the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stuart said that while MFL was aware that the decision would cut into ticket collections, they had their own way of making up for the shortfall.

The league was prudent and ensured all expenditures would generate income and had already estimated potential ticket collections.

The tickets are being sold at four tiers, general admission (RM50 and RM70), premium general admission (RM80) and premium grandstand (RM150).

Meanwhile, to ensure the match will run smoothly, Stuart said the MFL would work with the police to ensure the safety of spectators and compliance of the standard operating procedure (SOP) was controlled properly.

"Although only 20,000 spectators will be at the stadium, we do not take things lightly due to several recent incidents. This has been discussed at the Local Organising Committee (LOC) stage and with the police to ensure that fan procedures can be implemented perfectly,” he said. — Bernama