Malaysia Cup can be held from January 2021 - Ismail Sabri

He said this after reviewing the proposal on the COVID-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) that was tabled by the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) to the technical committee yesterday.

"The Malaysia Cup competition can be held from January 2021,” he said at the media conference on the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) development today.

Yesterday, KBS Deputy Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal was quoted as saying that the ministry had presented the sports bubble SOP as part of efforts to revive all football matches that had been shelved in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Ismail Sabri said the presence of spectators at stadiums would depend on the movement restrictions placed on the respective states, whether they are under the RMCO, Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) or Enhanced MCO (EMCO).

He said a maximum of 4,000 spectators or 10 per cent of the stadium capacity would be allowed for states placed under the RMCO.

“For states placed under the CMCO, no spectators are allowed while for areas under the EMCO, no matches are permitted,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the hosting of international-level tournaments, Ismail Sabri said it would be subject to approval by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM).

He said the participation of COVID-19 high-risk countries would not be allowed, unless authorised by the JIM.

“The participation of national athletes in international meets, especially in COVID-19 high-risk countries, will also require approval from the JIM.

“For contact sports, participants must undergo swab tests and be confirmed negative before they will be allowed to take part,” he said, adding that the detailed SOP could be viewed on the Youth and Sports Ministry and National Security Council (MKN) websites.