2017 FA cup final to be held at Shah Alam stadium

The Shah Alam Stadium has been chosen as the venue for the 2017 FA Cup final on May 20, according to Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) chief executive officer Kevin Ramalingam.

He said although there were proposals to bring the FA Cup final outside of the Klang Valley, it was found not to be feasible after considering a number of factors, including stadium facilities.

"The demand to watch the FA Cup final is very high every season, especially in places like the Shah Alam Stadium, the number of spectators can reach 80,000, so the proposal to bring the FA Cup final out of the Klang Valley is not the best move," said Ramalingam.

He said this after attending the 2017 FA Cup final Organising Committee meeting at the FMLLP headquarters, today.

FMLLP has been the main administrator of the Malaysian League since 2016.

In the meantime, Ramalingam said the final this time promised something different as it would be more focused on a family concept, in addition to having better security, including stepping up efforts in curbing sale of counterfeit tickets to prevent unscrupulous supporters from entering the stadium.

He stressed that the issue of selling fake tickets always existed before the final of a competition due to the high demand.

"Tickets issued always have safety features such as ultra violet (security paper), holograms and so on, so we can identify whether the ticket is false. In the meeting earlier, we had discussed (the matter) with Shah Alam district police chief ACP Shafien Mamat, who gave his views on how to prevent the entry of supporters using fake tickets, " said Ramalingam.

Meanwhile, Shafien stressed that the police had set up a special taskforce that would perform inspections at each entrance of the Shah Alam Stadium to detect gate-crashers.

He said stern action would be taken, including arresting those found selling and buying counterfeit tickets, and he warned those making counterfeit tickets to halt their practice.

"Checks at the entrances will also be enhanced, and from there, God willing, we can resolve the matter," said Shafien, adding the police had identified 30 fake tickets used by fans to watch the 2016 Malaysia Cup final between Kelantan and Selangor.

-- BERNAMA