Asean Football Federation (AFF) secretary-general Azzuddin Ahmad stressed it could also face legal action from its official marketing partner, Lagarde Sports, which had spent a substantial sum of money on organising the tournament.
In this regard, he urged the Malaysian government to weigh the proposed boycott which he said would have a negative impact on the many parties involved directly in the football championship this time.
“We will have to pay compensation to Lagarde Sports if the tournament is boycotted… the AFF itself does not receive any financial support from the Malaysian government,” he told Malaysian reporters here today.
Azzudin also questioned the action of certain individuals and non-governmental organisations in Malaysia which had been vocal in urging the government to boycott the biennial tournament held since 1996.
“Why wait until the AFF Cup goes on and then these individuals and NGOs become fervent in proposing the tournament be boycotted?
“The AFF president is (Sultan of Pahang) Sultan Ahmad Shah.
“The confidence (of the 12 affiliates of the AFF) in the sultan has won him their support but we, on the other hand, are not appreciating the recognition given by these affiliates,” said Azzudin, who served as FAM secretary-general from 2007 to 2013.
He said there were other means that the Malaysian government could take in condemning the action of the Myanmar military against the ethnic Rohingya, instead of boycotting the football regional championship, which was meant to unite the Asean countries.
Sharing his views was FAM secretary-general Hamidin Mohd Amin who stated that the Harimau Malaysia squad would go ahead with its group B match against Myanmar at Thuwunna Stadium this Saturday despite the proposed boycott.
The national squad manager has also asked the players to forget the boycott call and to focus on the upcoming match against Myanmar.
“The FAM, AFC and FIFA statutes state that football is neutral towards politics, religion, race and so on.
“If we want to withdraw (from the AFF Suzuki Cup), we should have done it earlier, not when the tournament is already going on.
“Why do FAM and football have to become victims in this issue? This , to an extent, affects the morale of our national squad.”
He, however, hoped that the Cabinet meeting tomorrow would discuss this issue and reach a positive decision over the proposed boycott.
Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin had recently called on the national squad to withdraw from the AFF Suzuki Cup as a protest against the brutality of the Myanmar military against the Rohingya.