National Football Awards 2020 to be held virtually, fans get to vote
KUALA LUMPUR,. The Malaysian Football League (MFL) will host the National Football Awards 2020 (ABK20) virtually on Dec 30 as the closing event of the Malaysian League (M-League) this season.
In a statement today, MFL chief executive officer Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan said ABK20 was held virtually in line with the government’s recommendation to keep physical distancing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said MFL, as the governing body of the M-League always strived to ensure that the hard work of players and coaches was appreciated, while the supporters have also not been left out this time.
“As we know, the Malaysian football calendar this year did not go well, especially for the supporters, who were not allowed to go to the stadium during the M-League competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So MFL does not supporters to be sidelined, and therefore for ABK20, they have been given the role of voting for their favourite players. This is the first time supporters have been given the power to vote,” he said.
At ABK20, supporters will be involved in the preliminary selection phase of 344 eligible players in their respective categories, and fans’ votes will be counted along with those from the professional jury, which comprises players, coaches and members of the media.
The list of 10 players nominated for each category, namely the Best Goalkeeper, Best Defender, Best Midfielder, Best Striker and Best Coach will be announced tomorrow.
The winner will be determined based on the votes cast by the professional jury (70 per cent vote weightage) and fans (30 per cent) via the poll which will be opened for five days beginning Sunday.
Meanwhile, Ab Ghani confirmed that the Best Team Award would be included in ABK20 but some awards would not be contested this time.
Among them are the awards for the Promising Young Player, Best Import Player, Best ASEAN Player, Best Supporter, Most Popular Player, Best Website and Best Social Media.
— BERNAMA
