Gripes Over Final Venue

FAS working with AFC for solution after Sharjah object to Jalan Besar for ACL2 clash

- Kimberly Kwek

Discussions are ongoing over the venue for the Asian Champions League Two final between Sharjah FC and Lion City Sailors, after the former requested that the match be moved from the Jalan Besar Stadium.

On April 17, the United Arab Emirates club issued a statement on social media, saying they had requested "the allocation of a suitable stadium worthy of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League Two final" on May 18.

The match is set to be played in Singapore, with the Jalan Besar Stadium, which staged the Sailors' home matches earlier in the campaign, being earmarked.

But Sharjah highlighted concerns over the 6,000-seater arena.

Its statement, which was written in Arabic, read: "The request comes in light of concerns related to the Jalan Besar Stadium, which will host Lion City (Sailors') matches.

"It is a relatively small stadium in terms of audience capacity and relies on an artificial turf pitch, which may not meet the requirements of an Asian final of this size."