Malaysia have pulled out of a soccer friendly in Hong Kong over concerns about the pro-democracy protests in the territory, officials said yesterday.
Hong Kong has been rocked by demonstrations over the past three months, with protesters calling for democracy and complaining that freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory have been eroded under Beijing’s rule.
The friendly was scheduled for Oct. 15, but the Football Association of Malaysia said it had written to its counterpart in Hong Kong on Wednesday informing it that the match would be postponed.
Association secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam told reporters that the match was being delayed “in view of the civil unrest” which could make Hong Kong unsafe for visiting players.
“We are also aware that flights into Hong Kong could be canceled and the airport closed, leading to additional costs being incurred,” he added.
Hong Kong’s airport — the world’s eighth-busiest — has been repeatedly targeted by protesters and last month hundreds of flights were canceled during a demonstration.
The friendly is the latest sporting event affected by the unrest after organizers of the Hong Kong Open women’s tennis tournament postponed next month’s competition, while a golf tournament and a horse racing meet have also been axed.
The Malaysian official said that the Hong Kong Football Association had rejected an offer to move the match to Malaysia, and said he hoped it would still go ahead in Hong Kong at a later date.
The Hong Kong Football Association had confirmed that the match was off in a statement.
We “attempted to negotiate with the Malaysia side, however both sides failed to reach any positive results at the end,” it said.
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