Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has called for the Asian Cup qualifier against North Korea in Pyongyang on June 8 to be moved to a neutral venue, saying he was concerned over player safety.
However, the AFC had announced on 8 June that the tie will be played in Pyongyang on the rescheduled date as there was no travel restriction put on by the Malaysian government.
But FAM sought AFC's permission to play the match at a neutral venue because of the diplomatic crisis caused by the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) on Feb 13.
"Truthfully, I would like the match to be played at a neutral venue for the sake of the players' safety", Tunku posted.
Tunku Ismail said it was hard for him to release the players for travel under the current situation but understood the AFC implications that may follow.
In this regard, Khairy said he respected the decision made by Tunku Ismail who voiced his disagreement to send the national team to Pyongyang for the match.
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The travel ban was lifted in late March after a deal was struck involving the return of Kim's body to North Korea. Malaysian police have named several North Korean suspects.
Should AFC turn down FAM's appeal and Malaysia refuse to play the match, they would concede a 3-0 defeat and could be fined and banned from the 2019 Asian Cup qualifying round. Tunku Ismail claimed there was also a possibility of being kicked out of the qualifiers, or any AFC competitions, in the future. "We have to make a decision to place the safety of our people at the top of the agenda".
Tunku Ismail says he is fully aware of the consequences of pulling out from the North Korea fixture but that he is more concerned about the safety arrangements.
"The question is what can we do?"
"I have received (information) we need to bring our own food due to the possibility of sabotage", he said.
"The other thing is the standard of refereeing because if decisions are not favouring North Korea, the safety of the officials will be affected, thus pressuring the referees".
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