The 2015 Sultan of Selangor Cup due to take place between Selangor FA and a Singapore selection side on Saturday has been called off as the haze that has affected parts of Malaysia and Singapore in recent weeks reached levels deemed unhealthy for fans and players.
Match organisers announced the decision to cancel the 14th edition of this showpiece event --expected to be played in front of a full house of 80,000 at Shah Alam Stadium -- just three hours ahead of kick off.
The Singapore selection, led by local legend Fandi Ahmad, that made the journey included 15 players from Malaysia Super League club LionsXII, along with Syazwan Buhari, M. Anumanthan, Sherif El-Masri and Jordan Webb from the Courts Young Lions. Tampines Rovers' Brazilian forward Rodrigo Tosi was also in the squad.
Singapore international and LionsXII midfielder Zulfahmi Arifin was saddened by the cancellation of the event but insisted that the safety of fans and players had to come first.
"I was quite disappointed that it was called off," Zulfahmi told ESPN FC. "It would have been my first time playing in this prestigious cup tie and to play in front of a full-house Shah Alam crowd would have been great.
"But with so many Singaporean and Malaysian fans traveling from different parts of both countries for this game, their health is the utmost importance and while I am sad that it has been cancelled, I think it is a good decision by the organisers"
Despite the cancellation, players and coaches of both teams proceeded to Shah Alam to meet and thank the fans that had already arrived at the stadium.
The Sultan of Selangor Cup will be held in Singapore next year, with reports suggesting that the venue will be the national stadium at the Sports Hub.