SHAH ALAM: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) have been declared winners of the Charity Shield for the seventh consecutive time after Selangor FC (SFC) insisted on pulling out from the opening match of the Malaysia League (M-League) that was to have been held at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor tomorrow.

The Malaysian Football League (MFL) said in a statement today that the Red Giants made their decision known in an official letter, thus allowing the Southern Tigers to be declared winners via a walkover with a 3-0 scoreline.

As such, the MFL confirmed that JDT have been awarded all three points since the Charity Shield, which also acts as the 2024-2025 Super League season's opening match.

The statement added that other matters related to the withdrawal of SFC would be brought to the attention of the MFL board of directors for further deliberation.

On Tuesday, the SFC applied for the Charity Shield match to be postponed after the star player, Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim was splashed with acid by two individuals.

However, yesterday the MFL held a meeting and rejected SFC's application.

The MFL said the decision to proceed with the Charity Shield was made after it received assurances that the police would intensify security measures on match day.

The SFC then announced their decision to withdraw, after getting the consent of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

-- BERNAMA