In the past, it was one of the biggest matches in the Malaysian league.
Not anymore. Kuala Lumpur has been a shadow of its former self yet the excitement of a Klang Valley derby against Selangor should set the pulses racing.
However, the guardians of the M-League have once again shown their incompetence by scheduling this match for 9pm, on a Sunday – two hours before the World Cup final.
Let that sink in for a while.
We have seen matches rescheduled many times in the past. So why not move the Klang Valley derby when the World Cup fixtures were known way in advance?
It was a similar story for last week’s FA Cup final between Selangor and Pahang.
It was played on a Saturday, on the last day of the World Cup quarterfinals, when it could have so easily been held a day later when it was a World Cup rest day.
As a result, it was one of the worst attended matches for an FA Cup final.
Malaysia Football League chief executive officer Kevin Ramalingam was quoted as saying the poor attendance was due to the fans’ “financial situation” as they celebrate Hari Raya. A joke? Perhaps.
In case you were wondering, the Klang Valley derby between Selangor and Kuala Lumpur ended 3-3.
And France won the World Cup after defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final.
