M-LEAGUE WILL BE BACK, FA CUP IS CANCELLED

It was announced that the suspended 2020 season will finally be resumed on August 26, with only the seven remaining fixtures of the 2020 Super League and Premier League 'first half' set to be played out. While the FA Cup has been cancelled, the Malaysia Cup will still be contested after the league is concluded, albeit in a knockout format.

The 2020 Malaysia FA Cup is the 31st season of the Malaysia FA Cup, a knockout competition for Malaysia's state football association and clubs. The winners would have secured a place for the 2021 AFC Cup group stage. 59 teams are involved in the competition.

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M-LEAGUE TO RESUME IN SEPTEMBER

The Malaysian Football League (MFL) is planning to resume the Malaysia League in September. However, all matches will be played behind closed doors.

The season was suspended on March 16, two days before the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the September restart will also depend on the situation then. If the M-League is not allowed to resume in September, the season will be called off.

Due to time constraints, the home-and-away format for the Super League and the Premier League has been scrapped. Teams will now play each other only once, meaning the champions of the Super League and Premier League will be decided after 11 rounds of matches. According to MFL plan, the Super League and Premier League will start on Sept 1 or 2 and end on Sept 26 or 27.

The MFL has also changed the format of the Malaysia Cup by dropping the group stage. The 16-team competition, comprising 11 Super League teams and five Premier League sides, will now be a knockout tournament. The Malaysia Cup starts on Oct 17 or 18 and ends on Nov 7. However, this year's FA Cup and Challenge Cup have been scrapped.

MALAYSIAN LEAGUE POSTPONED OVER COVID-19 CONCERNS

The Malaysian Football League (MFL) and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today announced that all 2020 Malaysian League (M-League) matches scheduled from Monday (March 16) will be postponed due to Covid-19.

FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin announced the decision at a press conference after chairing a special meeting on the Covid-19 pandemic here today. However, Hamidin said all Premier League and Super League matches for this week (Friday-Sunday) will still be played but in empty stadiums (without spectators).

“The decision is taken in the interest of all players, teams and supporters involved directly with the national football arena.”

The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), National Sports Council (NSC), National Sports Institute (NSI), sponsors and M-League partners.

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Hamidin, who is also MFL president, said the decision also involved other local competitions organised by FAM and MFL – including the President’s Cup, Youth Cup, Malaysia Premier Futsal League (MPFL), as well as the M3 and M4 competitions.

On other development, Hamidin also confirmed there would be no player call-up for the national squad training camp and cancellation of friendly matches for the national squad during the FIFA international matches window this month.

“The national team will not have a friendly match and there will be no call-up to for centralised training as planned,”

Shopee had ceased ticket sales for the M-League matches following MFL’s announcement to play the matches behind closed doors due to Covid-19 concerns.

The e-commerce platform said those who had purchased tickets for Super League matches between Petaling Jaya (PJ City) FC and Terengganu FC; Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) against Felda United FC as well as the tie between Kedah and Selangor via the platform, can get a full refund latest by Wednesday.

NAKATA: THE GREAT JAPANESE FOOTBALLER

Hidetoshi Nakata is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A quick, creative, hard-working, and offensive-minded central midfielder, with an eye for goal, Nakata was known for his technical ability, agility, vision, passing, and his ability to make attacking runs into the penalty area and score goals; he also possessed a powerful shot from outside the box. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest Japanese players of all time.

Born on 22 January 1977, Nakata began his professional career at age 18 with J1 League side Bellmare Hiratsuka (Shonan Bellmare). He played as attacking midfielder and the club won the 1995 Asian Cup Winners Cup, the first Asian title in the club history. Nakata was named Player of The Year by the Asian Football Confederation in 1997 and 1998.

After having represented Japan at the 1993 U17 World Championship and the 1995 U20 World Championship, Nakata was part of the U23 Japan squads at the 1996 Olympics, where Japan upset Brazil, and at the 2000 Olympics. His senior national team debut came in May 1997 against South Korea.

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Nakata was a key member of the Japanese side that qualified for the 1998 World Cup, scoring five goals in qualification matches and setting up all three Japan's goals in the qualification play-off against Iran. In 2001, he helped Japan to reach the final of the Confederations Cup. At the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, Nakata played in all four matches and scored a goal in the win over Tunisia. Nakata played in all three matches for Japan At the 2006 World Cup. His performance against Croatia earned him a Man of the Match award.

As a professional footballer, Nakata joined Perugia in Italy's Serie A after the 1998 World Cup in France. In his first season in Italy, he scored 10 goals, which was his single-season highest total. After one and a half seasons at Perugia, Nakata moved to Roma for €21.7 million, and helped the team win the Scudetto (Serie A). In the summer of 2001, Nakata signed a four-year deal with Parma for a transfer fee of €28.4 million, a world record payment for an Asian player. Nakata played there for two and a half seasons and won the Coppa Italia in 2001-02 season.

In January 2004, Nakata joined Bologna where he played the remainder of the 2003–04 season before moving to Fiorentina, where he played the following season. In August 2005, he moved to Premiership side Bolton Wanderers on loan. During his season at Bolton, which would be the last of his professional career, he scored once in the league, in a 2–0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Nakata announced his retirement at age 29 on 3 July 2006, after a ten-year career that included seven seasons in the Italian Serie A and a season in the English Premier League. In March 2004, Pelé named Nakata in his FIFA 100, a list of the top living footballers at the time. Nakata was the only Japanese, and one of only two Asian footballers to be named on the list.

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JDT TAMED KEDAH IN MALAYSIA CUP FINAL

Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) completed their M-League double after defeating Kedah 3-0 in the Malaysia Cup final. The Super League champions did not face much problems to tame the Red Eagles at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.

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JDT opened the scoring in the 27th minute through Leandro Velazquez. Eight minutes later, Safawi Rasid doubled the lead for the Southern Tigers. Kedah struggled to stop their opponent as they were without centreback Renan Alves and rightback Rizal Ghazali due to suspension.

Syafiq Ahmad added the third for JDT after the break to sealed their victory. It is only their second Malaysia Cup title, after winning it in 2017. JDT had also won the Charity Shield early in the season, before winning the Super League in June.

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QATAR CREATE HISTORY WITH ASIAN CUP WIN

Qatar won their first ever Asian Cup after defeating Japan 3-1 in the final at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi. The Gulf side, making a first appearance in the final, sealed the title through goals from Almoez Ali, Abdulaziz Hatem and Akram Afif. Takumi Minamino pulled back with a goal for Japan, but not enough to deny Qatar from winning.

Qatar took the lead with a spectacular bicycle kick by Almoez Ali in the 12th minute. The goal is his ninth in the tournament, took him past Iranian Ali Daei's 1996 tally. Then, Abdulaziz Hatem doubled the lead for Qatar with a long-distance strike in the 27th minute.

Japan got back into the game in the 69th minute after Takumi Minamino beat Saad Al Sheeb. It is the first goal Qatar had conceded in the tournament.

However with eight minutes remaining, Qatar sealed the victory.  Akram Afif converted a penalty after a handball by Japan captain Maya Yoshida.

Qatar have shown a huge improvement at this tournament. They look set to compete against the best in the world at the World Cup 2022. But for now, the new Asian Champions will focus on the Copa America 2019.

QATAR THRASHED UAE IN ASIAN CUP SEMIFINALS

Qatar hammered hosts United Arab Emirates to reach the Asian Cup football final. Dubbed the Blockade Derby, the match was the first meeting between the two regional rivals since the start of the Gulf crisis.

Qatar opened the scoring with Boualem Khoukhi in the 22nd minute with Almoez Ali adding a second 15 minutes later. Hassan al-Haydos added a third in the 80th minute with a chip over the UAE goal-keeper and Ismaeil sealed Qatar's progress with a goal in injury time.

The match was marred by crowd disruptions twice where shoes and bottles were thrown at Qatari players celebrating after scoring. Qatar's qualify to the title match for the first time where it will face Japan on Friday.

JAPAN STUN IRAN TO TAKE ASIAN CUP FINAL SPOT

Japan stunned favourites Iran 3-0 in the Asian Cup semi-finals to move one win away from their fifth title on Monday. Iran have been in excellent form at this tournament with 12 unanswered goals en route to the semis.

Werder Bremen striker Yuya Osako opened the scoring in the 56th minute and added his second from the penalty spot. Genki Haraguchi then scored in stoppage time to complete the victory.

A sad exit for Iran as Japan reached their fifth final in the last 8 tournaments. The Samurai Blue will face either hosts United Arab Emirates or Qatar in Friday's final in Abu Dhabi.

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VICTORY FOR VIETNAM IN THE AFF SUZUKI CUP

Vietnam ended their ten years wait to win the AFF Suzuki Cup after beating Malaysia 1-0 in the tournament’s final second-leg at My Dinh Stadium. After the 2-2 draw in the first leg at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam carried two away goals advantage for the final 90 minutes in Hanoi. Nguyen Anh Duc turned hero for the home side as he scored the only goal in the sixth minute after receiving a cross from midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai.

Malaysia pressed for an equaliser but the score remained until the final whistle. Vietnam survived the thrilling encounter with a deserving 1-0 victory. They are officially the champions of AFF Suzuki Cup 2018, beating Malaysia 3-2 on aggregate after the two legs. This is the first AFF Cup championship title in a decade for Vietnam and also only their second in history.

They lifted the trophy right after the match and the fans celebrated throughout the night. Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai was named the Most Valuable Player award for his outstanding performance. Malaysia’s heroic journey in the tournament came to a heartbreaking end, but they can still be proud to be the second best in South East Asia.

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ARSENAL BEAT PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN AT INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP

Arsenal secured a comfortable International Champions Cup win over Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. Captained by Mesut Ozil, the Gunners named more experienced players in the line-up compared to their opponent.

Ozil gave the Gunners the lead in his first appearance of the pre-season. However, it was cancelled out when Sead Kolasinac fouled Timothy Weah, and Christopher Nkunku scored the equaliser for the inexperienced French side. Alexandre Lacazette struck twice within four minutes to put Arsenal in control again. Then Rob Holding scored with a header from 18 yards and Eddie Nketiah added gloss to the victory.

It was an exciting pre season match for the fans as Arsenal had named a far stronger side than Thomas Tuchel’s PSG, who had only four senior players in a line-up that included 40-year-old summer signing Gianluigi Buffon.

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ATLETICO MADRID EDGE ARSENAL IN PRE SEASON TOURNEY

Arsenal prospect Emile Smith Rowe scored a superb solo goal to earn his team a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in the International Champions Cup as Unai Emery was treated to a showcase of the potential in his squad.

​The goal cancelled out Luciano Vietto's opener for Atletico, who were without the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez but nevertheless exposed Arsenal's defensive frailties on occasion and looked the better organised of the two teams.

However, Arsenal's young guns failed to fire in the penalty shoot-out, though, with Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah missing their spot-kicks along with Henrikh Mkhitaryan as Atletico triumphed 3-1.

FRANCE BEAT CROATIA TO CLINCH THE FIFA WORLD CUP

France clinched their second FIFA World Cup after defeating Croatia in a thrilling finale at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Les Bleus repeated their success on home soil at France 98 with a comfortable 4-2 victory despite Croatia's strong performance throughout the tournament in Russia. Their victory meant Didier Deschamps is now the third man to win the World Cup as a player and coach.

Luck was not on Croatia's side as France erased their memories of losing in the final to Portugal in Euro 2016. France took the lead after 18 minutes when Antoine Griezmann's free-kick deflected in from Mario Mandzukic's head.

Ten minutes later, Croatia equalised with a superb goal by Ivan Perisic. But then, referee Nestor Pitana awarded a penalty to France after VAR was consulted for a handball by Perisic. Griezmann calmly scored from the spot in the 38th minute to restore his team's advantage.

When the match resumed after the break, France looked to have wrapped it up with two strikes in six minutes from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe either side of the hour mark. Croatia showed unbreakable spirit and even threatened a comeback when Mandzukic took advantage of France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris hesitating over a clearance to pull a goal back. But France closed out the win to bring redemption for Deschamps after defeat at the Euros two years ago, sparking wild celebrations and ensuring Lloris lifted the World Cup.

Photos: FIFA

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BELGIUM EDGE ENGLAND TO SECURE THIRD PLACE IN THE WORLD CUP

Belgium beat England 2-1 on Saturday to earn their best ever World Cup finish in the tournament. Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard found the net at St. Petersburg Stadium after both teams were knocked-out in the semifinals. Belgium were beaten by France, while England lost to Croatia in the last four.

Belgium took an early lead with Meunier's 4th minute goal. He ran from England's blind side and knocked-in a cross from Nacer Chadli. The score remained until the break.

England returned in the second half in search for an equaliser. They got their best chance through Eric Dier, but Toby Alderweireld slid on the goal line to clear the shot. With less than ten minutes left to play, Belgium suddenly doubled their lead. Hazard beat Jordan Pickford after getting a brilliant pass from Kevin De Bruyne.

The goal sealed the third place for Belgium, which is their best finish in the World Cup. After beating England in the group stage, the Belgians dominated again for the second win over the same opponent.

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CROATIA BREAK ENGLAND'S HEART TO REACH FIRST EVER FINAL

Croatia broke England's heart after they denied the Three Lions from reaching the World Cup final. It was thrilling clash where Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal deep in extra time as Croatia beat England 2-1.

Kieran Trippier’s freekick early in the match put England on course to reach their first final since 1966. It was a magnificient curling shot from 25 yards, which is also England’s first goal from a freekick at the World Cup since David Beckham against Ecuador in 2006.

But it wasn’t enough for them, as Croatia came stronger in the second half and equalised through Ivan Perisic. Sime Vrsaljko crossed from the right and Perisic striked the ball in front of Kyle Walker to score the 68th minute equaliser.

As both sides failed to get the second goal, the match was dragged into the extra-time. Mandzukic finally used his remaining energy to score the 109th minute winner and take Croatia into the World Cup final for the first time in its short history.

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FRANCE BEAT BELGIUM TO ENTER THE FINAL

France has edged Belgium 1-0 to advance to the World Cup final. Samuel Umtiti's glancing header from Antoine Griezmann's corner is all that seperates the two teams.

Belgium started strong in Saint Petersburg, but France had the edge in both defence and attack. Umtiti’s header from a corner in the 51st minute proved to be crucial as it decides the winner of this excellent tie.

Hugo Lloris, made some spectacular saves to deny Toby Alderweireld and Alex Witsel’s efforts as Belgium increased the pressure. The result is painful for Belgium as their 'Golden Generation' failed to land their first ever World Cup title.

France will wait for 24 hours before they find out whether they will play England or Croatia in the final at Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday. 20 years after their first World Cup triumph, now they have the chance to lift the trophy again.

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CROATIA TAKE THE LAST SEMIFINALS SPOT

Russia's World Cup dream came to an end after losing on penalties to Croatia. The home fans' excitement after their team scored a last-minute equaliser, turned to sadness as Croatia won 4-3 on penalties.

Croatia were the favourites for the quarterfinals clash. They got two great midfielders in Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric.

Russia had their hattrick hero against Saudi Arabia, Denis Cheryshev in their line-up. And he made a quick impact with the opening goal in the 31st minute. After taking a pass from Artem Dzyuba, Cheryshev beat Modric and fired home from outside the box.

Then Andrej Kramaric leveled the score just eight minutes later. Mario Mandzukic crossed inside the penalty area for Kramaric to head home.

Both team had their chances but failed to get the winner in 90 minutes. However, Croatia took the lead in the 101st minute, Domagoj Vida headed the ball low into the net from a corner kick.

Five minutes before the end of extra time, Russia draw level again, substitute Alan Dzagoev holding up a free-kick for Mario Fernandes to head home in the 115th minute.

At the end, the winner had to be decided through penalty kicks. Rakitic scored the winning penalty and Croatia beat Russia 4-3 in the shoot-outs. They advance to the semifinals and will face England.

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ENGLAND REACH WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS AFTER 28 YEARS

Harry Maguire and Dele Alli fired England into the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years after it eased its way to a 2-0 victory over Sweden.

Maguire opened the scoring in the 30th minute. The England defender jumped high and headed in to beat Robin Olsen.

Alli doubled the lead after the break to clear the way for the Three Lions towards the semifinals. Jesse Lingard delivered a brilliant pass to the back post and Alli ran onto it and headed with ease.

Sweden tried to get back into the match, but Jordan Pickford was the hero at the back. The England's goalkeeper made atleast three superb saves to deny the Swedes.

The victory sends Gareth Southgate's young squad into the last four. England will play either Russia or Croatia in the semifinals.

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BELGIUM END BRAZILIAN'S DREAM

Belgium beat Brazil 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals to set-up a semifinal clash with France. The five-time world champion was sent out of the World Cup on Friday, ending their dream of clinching the sixth title in Russia.

Belgium went ahead in the 13th minute after an own-goal by Fernandinho. The midfielder misjudged Nacer Chadli's corner kick which hit his arm and flew into his own net.

Right after the half hour mark, Kevin De Bruyne added a second for the Belgium with a powerful shot to put Belgium firmly in control.

But Brazil did not go down without a fight in Kazan. The second half saw the men in yellow pushing forward.

Brazil finally got the breakthrough in 76th minute as Renato Augusto jumping header fell into the bottom corner of Belgium's goal. Neymar, Paulinho, Augusto and Coutinho had the opportunities to equalize but failed to beat Thibaut Courtois. 

Belgium will face France in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday, with a place in the final at stake.

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FRANCE BEAT URUGUAY TO REACH WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS

France eased past Uruguay to take their place in the World Cup semifinals with a 2-0 win in their last eight match. Uruguay is the third South American victim to the French after Peru and Argentina were beaten in the earlier stages.

Uruguay were without their most influential player, Edinson Cavani who were ruled out for the knee injury suffered in the match against Portugal. Luis Suarez had to take the important role but struggled to make an impact.

France produced a very good performance with Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante were pretty outstanding throughout the match. Raphael Varane gave France the lead with a header in the 40th minute. Antoine Griezmann sent in a free kick from the right side and Varane raced across the area. He got his head to the ball and sent it into the far corner behind Muslera. In the 61st minute Griezmann increased the lead for his team. His powerful shot flew directly to the hands of the goalkeeper but slipped into the net.

Uruguay were unbeaten in 2018 until this match, and Muslera has been one of the best goalkeeper at this World Cup. They just lost to a better team. The victory gave France a spot in the World Cup semifinals. The 1998 champions will next face either Brazil or Belgium on Tuesday in St. Petersburg.

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BELGIUM STAGE LATE COMEBACK TO EDGE JAPAN

Belgium beat spirited Japan 3-2 to set up a mouthwatering quarterfinals clash with five-time champions Brazil. It was an interesting match as the Japanese went two-nil up before Belgium fought back with three goals.

Japan went ahead right after the break. Haraguchi broke into the area and beat Courtois in the 48th minute. Hardly five minutes later, Inui doubled the lead with a 25 metres attempt.

It looked like Belgium was going to lose this match. But Jan Vertonghen gave his team a new hope with just 20 minutes left to play. His header flew high over the Japanese goalkeeper and hit the back of the net.

Then Marouane Fellaini equalised from close range with a powerful header after receiving a cross from Eden Hazard. And Japan lost their 2 goals cushion and back to square one.

As the match entered the stoppage time, Nacer Chadli got the winner as he converted a cross by Meunier from a quick counter attack.

The Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ have scored 12 goals in four games this World Cup. They will face Brazil in the last eight clash on Friday.

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