Charity Shield: Tunku Ismail to leave football if JDT lose

KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) stand to lose their owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim if the Southern Tigers fail to win the Charity Shield match against Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC, tomorrow.

Tunku Ismail who is also the Tunku Mahkota of Johor (TMJ), also expressed his desire to 'withdraw' from involvement in any football activities in the country if KL City FC are crowned champions in the match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri.

"If (we) lose tomorrow, I will leave football completely and will no longer be involved in any football activities in the country," he said in a comment posted on JDT's official Instagram today.

It is not the first time that Tunku Ismail, who is also a former president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), has hinted that he will leave JDT and the world of football.

In April 2018, via the Johor Southern Tigers' official Facebook post, Tunku Ismail was quoted as saying that he was ready to give up everything related to football if JDT's performance did not show improvement.

The clash between JDT and KL City FC in the match to win the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup is the opening of the 2022 Malaysia League which is scheduled to start on March 4.

For the record, KL City FC beat JDT 2-0 in the 2021 Malaysia Cup final last December, thus ending a 32-year wait to win the prestigious competition as well as qualify for the AFC Cup this season.

-- BERNAMA