FIFA says that the Maldivian government has assured full safety and security for the Hong Kong team throughout their World Cup Qualifiers against Maldives on Thursday, in spite of an ongoing state of emergency in the country.
Since the recent declaration of the nation-wide state of emergency, the Hong Kong team had expressed concerns on joining the match in the capital city Malé's National Stadium, based on the current situation in the country.
While they had requested FIFA to arrange a change in venue or to postpone the match, and had even considered last week on skipping the match, FIFA had asserted that the match will still resume and the venue will still remain the same, as the Maldivian government had assured the utmost priority in the welfare of the players.
The assurance was also echoed by Hong Kong’s Football Association.
“The Maldivian security forces reassured FIFA that the Hong Kong team will not face any kind of danger during their stay at the Maldives,” said Mark Sutcliffe - Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Football Association.
As the Hong Kong team is scheduled to arrive in Maldives tonight, police had announced that security measures for the teams have already been implemented.