The Sabah football team, also known as the Tambadaus, is placed 10th (just above the relegation zone) in the 12-team Super League and has one game remaining in the league against UiTM FC this Saturday.
The team was also poised to take part in the Malaysia Cup, the nation’s oldest cup competition, where its first round of knock-out matches have been scheduled from Nov 6 to Nov 8.
But strict travel restrictions have made it impossible for the Tambadaus to complete their final league fixture and play in the Malaysia Cup, at a time when the team is determined to give a better showing after their recent dismal league performance.
This premature end to the Tambadaus’ season was confirmed in a Facebook posting by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) today.
MFL CEO Ab Ghani Hassan said the final league game between Sabah and UiTM FC would not proceed after the National Security Council (MKN) turned down the team’s request for an exemption to the strict travel restrictions.
The game, which was postponed twice previously, was supposed to be played at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Malacca this Saturday.
“Subsequent to that, UiTM FC had been awarded a 3-0 victory,” said Ghani, adding this was decided during a MFL board of directors meeting yesterday.
He added that competing in the Malaysia Cup was also out of the question as the required 14-day self-quarantine, even if the squad were to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 29, meant that they would still not be able to play the first round matches.
Following this, the team, drawn against Sabah in the first round, will be awarded a 3-0 win and secure passage to the quarter-finals.
One relief for Sabah, however, is that its place in the Super League is confirmed for the next season.
Sabah has only managed to collect nine points from the two wins, three draws and six defeats, including the cancelled match against UiTM FC, in the league. The number of games was cut down to 11 from the original 22 matches due to the pandemic.
“Sabah will not face any penalty because of this issue (missing fixtures),” Ghani said.
In another social media posting by MFL, Tambadaus’ head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto said he received the decision over the travel exemption with “an open heart”. He said the team was pumped up to play in the matches.
“Of course, this decision by MKN was a surprise because we were all ready and eager to go to Malacca (against UiTM FC) and compete in the Malaysia Cup later.
“My players and I understand why … it is for the safety of everyone and we will respect the decision and adhere to the directive issued by MKN and the government.
“This will not dampen our spirits in ensuring the team comes back stronger for the 2021 season. The fact is that everyone is sad at not being able to play,” said the Indonesian coach.
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