The health of M-League players and the crowd will be much more secured next year as the Air Pollutant Index (API) tool will be installed in stadiums to determine whether the air conditions are safe enough for a football match.
Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) announced the decision after FAM decided to go ahead with the Malaysia Cup tie between Felda United and Selangor last weekend, despite the air condition being poor.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FMLLP, Kevin Ramalingam said the tool will be set as a Standard operating procedure (SOP) that has to be followed by the match commissioner who will measure the API level in the stadium right before the match begins.
“We want the match commissioner to look at the API reading before starting the game, just like they measure the brightness of the floodlights as an example and the match can be postponed if the haze is worsened.
“However, we will have to think about the visiting team who might be reluctant to see the match get postponed due to travelling expenses. So that should be taken into consideration as well.
“Stadiums are a place for people to gather and watch a football game together. Sometimes the API reading is a little bit different from the Internet but with this tool, it will help the match commissioner to decide the API level more accurately, “he told Utusan Malaysia yesterday.
FMLLP will be also working together with the Department of Environment regarding the installment of the API reader in the stadium.
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