Cabinet to decide whether M'sia will pull out of Cup
Published on: Thursday, November 24, 2016
Kuala Lumpur: The Cabinet will decide on Friday whether the Harimau Malaysia team will withdraw from the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship 2016 in Myanmar. Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the decision cannot be a unilateral one as it must be made by the Cabinet as a whole. "The matter needs to be discussed by the Cabinet as we need the opinions of the Foreign Ministry and other parties before we come to any decision," he said after a meet-and-greet session with MyCorps volunteers at the International Youth Centre here Wednesday.
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The New Straits Times reported that Khairy said although some had argued that it would not be right to associate sports with politics, the issue is humanitarian in nature. "This is a humanitarian crisis and therefore, we will make proper consideration regarding the matter. "Some had asked why it has become an issue when it has already known long before that Myanmar would be hosting the Cup - but this reaction is based on recent reports that showed evidence of genocide occurring in the Rakhine state of Myanmar," he reasoned. Khairy said that whatever decision is made at the Cabinet meeting, the protest against the injustice must be heard.
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With this in mind, he said Umno Youth would send a protest memo to the Myanmar embassy. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin had earlier Wednesday urged the Malaysian football team to withdraw its participation in the championship. He said the move was to protest against the Myanmar government's subjugation against the Rohingya community in the country.
