Due to Covid-19, Myanmar National Team withdrew from 2022 AFF U-23 Cup

DBasia.news – The 2022 AFF U-23 Cup Group B match between the Malaysian U-23 national team against Myanmar has been cancelled. The match as scheduled was held at Prince Stadium, Cambodia, Tuesday (15/2) afternoon.

This is inseparable from the decision of the Myanmar U-23 National Team to withdraw from the tournament. The decision was made ahead of the match against Malaysia.

The decision of the Myanmar U-23 National Team cannot be separated from the Covid-19 case. This was also informed by the Malaysian Football Federation (FAM) on its Facebook page.

“The inaugural Group B match scheduled for this afternoon has been canceled after Myanmar legally withdrew from the tournament following a positive case of Covid-19 among its players,” FAM wrote.

The Myanmar national team also follows in the footsteps of Indonesia. The difference is that the Myanmar squad decided that after being in Cambodia.

Meanwhile, Indonesia withdrew three days before the competition started or before departure. The decision was made by PSSI as there were seven players who tested positive for Covid-19, while four had to be monitored due to close contact. As for three injured players, PSSI felt that the squad was not in an ideal condition to fly to Cambodia.

The AFF on its website also announced the decision to withdraw from the Myanmar U-23 National Team. The AFF explained that a number of players tested positive, while other players and officials identified as close contacts were put in isolation for observation.

“It is with great regret that the Myanmar U-23 team has had to withdraw from the AFF U23 Championship. We understand that the team has been excited to start their campaign and the fans are eager to see the team in action. However, the health and safety of everyone involved is of the utmost importance and we fully understand the decisions that have been taken. We wish the affected members a full and speedy recovery,” said AFF President, Khiev Sameth.

The 2022 AFF U-23 Cup has started on February 14. The Timor Leste club against the Philippines opened the tournament with a 2-2 final result, before Cambodia’s 6-0 victory over Brunei Darussalam was followed.