Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)’s honorary secretary Haji Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin has received orders from the Malaysian government to block the national football team from flying to Pyongyang.
FAM have also filed another request with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to play the match in a neutral venue, but they have not heard back. Malaysia were previously scheduled to face North Korea in the Asian Cup qualifiers at the Kim Il Sung stadium on the 28th of March.
This move came across as a surprise because last week, Foreign Affairs minister, Datuk Seri Anifah Aman declared that Pyongyang is safe and that there should be no problem with Malaysia squad flying over to North Korea.
But in a press statement just released by FAM, it’s been confirmed that the national team will not be allowed to fly to Pyongyang for the Asian Cup qualifiers. The Malaysian government have also called for its national team to withdraw from the tournament altogether due to safety concerns.