Fadhil Yunus
Spectators have been restricted to attend matches in the final rounds of the Brunei Futsal Cup 2022, the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (FABD) said in a statement yesterday.
Due to the rising COVID-19 infections in the country, the national football governing body will reinforce its COVID-19 protocols to ensure the safety of teams who are still in the competition.
The FABD said that the move will ensure that all teams can be at their peak conditions – with no key players succumbing to the virus throughout the final rounds.
“This will also enforce stronger fair play among the teams,” it added.
Only players, team officials and organising committee members with body matches are allowed to enter the match venue. They are also required to take the antigen rapid test (ART) prior to attending the matches.
The national governing body is currently working to provide live-streaming service as an alternative for supporters.
The participating teams had whittled to eight teams – MS ABDB, Shah United, Kasuka Ar-Rawda, DDT FT, Almerez FA, Kota Ranger, Qahar FT and Arbisyam – following the end of the group stages.
All eight teams had been drawn into two groups of four billed as the ‘Battle of the Champions’.
Group 1 comprises DDT FT, Kota Ranger, MS ABDB and Qahar FT, while Group 2 features Kasuka Ar-Rawda, Almerez FA, Shah United and Arbisyam.
The ‘Battle of the Champions’ group stage will commence on July 18 with DDT FT facing Qahar FT while Kota Ranger meet MS ABDB in Group 1.
The top two teams will advance to the semi-finals, which will be played in a home and away leg, with the final also contested in the same format.
