KUALA LUMPUR (10 Oct 2012) – Tickets for the Malaysia Cup final this year has been set at RM 40 (USD 13) while for schoolchildren under the age of 12-years-old, they only need to pay RM 5 (USD 1.60)
There are no segregation in ticket pricing where it applies to all seats at the 80,000 capacity Shah Alam Stadium, with the exception of the VIP areas.
The pricing was announced in a circular following the earlier decision of the FAM Exco.
In the meantime, Lions XII have a mountain to climb at the Selayang Stadium, but coach V. Sundramoorthy has not given up hope of an upset against favourites Armed Forces in tomorrow’s Malaysia Cup second leg semi-final.
With Armed Forces having the luxury of an away goal following a 1-1 draw from the first-leg at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore last Friday, the former Singapore international is looking for a miracle to keep the Oct 20 date for this year’s Malaysia Cup final.
The final will be played at the Shah Alam Stadium due to the poor pitch condition at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
“Unlike our rivals, I was only able to have one training session per day as more than half of my players are undergoing national service. They could only attend training after 5pm,” said Sundram.
Armed Forces have been tagged as the favourites to advance to the final after showing last year’s champions Negri Sembilan the exit 6-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals – winning the first leg at Selayang before an emphatic 3-1 in the return-leg in Paroi.
The Singaporeans have struggled in the Malaysia Cup, but edged Pahang 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, after winning the return-leg at Jalan Besar 2-0.
The Lions, however, will be much stronger with the return of midfielder Isa Halim from suspension and striker Khairul Amri, who has recovered from a hamstring injury.
Still, Sundram is wary of the goal-hungry Alex Marlon James who is Armed Forces’ scoring machine. He took his Malaysia Cup tally to 10 when he scored at the Jalan Besar Stadium but also missed a couple more.
The 35-year-old James could turn the tide in his team’s favour and has returned coach B. Sathianathan’s trust in him although many questioned his decision to sign the former Kedah Malaysia Cupper.
Skipper Hairuddin Omar is another player who has to be marked closely as the Terengganu-born former international has the knack of scoring vital match-winning goals. He has struck a lethal partnership with Argentinian work horse Bruno Martellotto and the duo will be handful for the Lions.
“It will be a tough call for us but we will be going all out to get positive result.”
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