KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — The 2021 Challenge Cup is the latest tournament to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic after it was cancelled by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) today, just hours after the cancellation of this year’s M3 League.
MFL chief executive officer Stuart Ramalingam said they had taken into account three main factors as well as a thorough assessment before cancelling the Challenge Cup.
He said it involved feedback from sponsors, the financial problems faced by the clubs due to the unexpected cost of competing in the Premier League as well as the strict standard operating procedure (SOP) during the pandemic.
“It wasn’t an easy decision but, based on several factors, the teams and the MFL have collectively agreed to the tournament not continuing,” he said in a statement.
He added that based on discussions with the teams today, they also agreed to honour the contracts of the players and officials until the end of this season.
Earlier today, Amateur Football League (AFL) chairman Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi announced the cancellation of the 2021 M3 League after taking into account all factors, including operational issues, safety aspects as well as constraints faced by the AFL and the teams following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had previously cancelled the Youth Cup, President’s Cup and Malaysian Premier Futsal League (MPFL) for the second time in a row due to the pandemic. — Bernama
