KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) has rescheduled the much-awaited match between Malaysia and Australia in the upcoming FIH Junior Hockey World Cup due to the Malaysia Cup final.
MHC vice president and tournament chairman Datuk Seri Anil Jeet Singh said that the decision was made to accommodate the Malaysia Cup final match between Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Terengganu FC, scheduled to take place at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
“Upon discussion with the police, we decided to move the fixture between Malaysia and Australia from 8pm to 2pm. This decision was made to avoid creating a massive crowd of fans in Bukit Jalil.
“We were also concerned that the team buses might not arrive on time due to traffic, with thousands of fans coming over to watch the Malaysia Cup final.
“We have witnessed the situation in Bukit Jalil during the Harimau Malaya World Cup qualifiers and the recently concluded Coldplay concert. We made the right decision to prevent any issues arising due to the huge number of crowds, and we don’t want it to affect the image of our tournament,” said Anil.
A record-breaking 75,000 fans attended the Coldplay concert at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, setting a record for the largest single-day concert attendance in the stadium’s history.
The 97th edition of the Malaysia Cup tournament, organised by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Malaysian Football League (MFL), will feature defending champions JDT facing Terengganu FC on December 8.
In last year’s edition, JDT defeated Selangor FC 2-1 to secure their third Malaysia Cup title.
Terengganu will be seeking revenge in the final stage after falling 1-3 to the Southern Tigers in last year’s FA Cup final.
The 13th edition of the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur from December 5 to 16.
Malaysia is placed in Pool A alongside defending champions Argentina, Australia, and Chile.
The opening match of the tournament, between France and Egypt in Pool B, will take place on December 5, while the Junior Speedy Tigers will commence their campaign against Chile on the same day.
Malaysia’s best performance in the tournament came in the 2013 edition in New Delhi, India, where they finished fourth out of 16 teams. – November 27, 2023