THE FA of Malaysia (FAM) are not ready to declare all their football competitions this year null and void if the Covid-19 pandemic drags on.
However, the national body revealed yesterday that they have Plan B and C to deal with all eventualities.
Although the Malaysia Football League (MFL) are the ones who manage the Super League and Premier League, they will have to adhere to FAM, whose policies will be in tandem with the directives from the federal government.
Apart from the M-League and other domestic competitions, the international calendar has also come to a halt.
Fifa and their affiliates are hoping things would get better as they, too, are scrambling for alternatives to complete their various competitions worldwide.
Earlier this week, the government said mass gatherings could be banned for six months to a year to contain the spread of Covid-19 after the Movement Control Order (MCO) is lifted.
FAM general secretary Stuart Ramalingam told Timesport that the governing body have started preparing for all possibilities and whatever measures to be taken, will be based on government’s directives.
“We don’t know when things would get better… it could be June, September or November.
“Just like the rest of the country, we are waiting for directives from the government.
“We have a timeline based on the April 10 announcement (on whether the MCO will be extended beyond April 14). We have Plan B and C in place but we need clarity as we are not health experts.
“Once the guidelines are made public, FAM will come up with the right policies accordingly even for the probable restrictions that may come for the next six or 12 months,” said Stuart.
The competitions under the purview of FAM are the President’s Cup and Youth Cup. Any decisions taken for both competitions can be executed easily.
However, things are more complicated for the Malaysia Football League (MFL) in regard to the M-League.
Stuart is under no illusion that the MFL are facing heavy pressure due to their obligations with sponsors.
“For the President’s Cup and Youth Cup, there are no sponsor-related conditions.
“However, the same cannot be said of the Super League or Premier League.
“It will be up to MFL on how to handle both competitions,” he added.