PETALING JAYA: The controversy over the harsh fine the Malaysian Football League (MFL) handed down on Selangor will not end quickly.
It has been learnt that the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has not yet agreed to an audience request from Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin.
According to a reliable source, after the request did not get immediate approval, several FAM officials approached palace representatives, but to no avail.
“The Istana had not said yes to a meeting, and we were made aware that several FAM officials, especially his office people, tried to get through to the palace representatives, but to date, their calls have not been answered,” said the source.
The Sultan had been angered over MFL’s harsh punishment after Selangor pulled out of the Charity Shield match against Johor Darul Ta’zim on May 10. They did so after winger Faisal Halim became an acid attack victim.
On Tuesday, MFL decided to hit Selangor with a hefty RM100,000 fine and a three-point docking, and ordered the team to play their next match against Johor Darul Ta’zim in an empty stadium.
This angered the Sultan, who even said on Wednesday that he would pull Selangor out of the Super League if he was leading the football association instead of being its patron.
The MFL then lowered the fine to RM60,000, decided not to dock the three points, and allowed spectators to watch the Selangor-JDT game. This, in turn, irked JDT owner, The Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
“After today, any club that does not pay salaries on time, or pulls out at its whims and fancy, or breaks any regulation, just needs to ask their state’s Sultan to write a letter expressing anger,” he said on Facebook.
“Since 2013, JDT has been fined hundreds of thousands and I was once banned for six months, but Tuanku Sultan Johor never issued a letter or made a statement,” he said.
On Thursday, Hamidin said he was in touch with the Selangor Palace and added that he had sent an official letter to meet with Sultan Sharafuddin. However, the Sultan has yet to agree to meet the FAM officials.
