FUTSAL court operators are crying foul after the government opened up most sports and recreational activities but continued the suspension of contact sports, including those held in indoor venues.

The operators told The Malaysian Insight they are facing a tough time sustaining their business in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

These operators have been closed since the movement-control order (MCO) was enforced on March 18 and fear they will have to remain closed for good if the government does not give them the green light to operate soon.

Sports Barn chief executive officer Roshan Jason said his futsal and basketball centres in Petaling Jaya are struggling as he made zero income for the past three months.

Roshan urged the government to engage with indoor sports operators or come up with specific packages that could help industry players.

He also questioned the logic behind not allowing the public to play futsal which is considered a “contact sport”.

“Since March 18, we have not been able to operate and that means no income for us but we still have to pay rental, our staff and utility bills.

“Our operational cost for one sport centre is roughly RM50,000 and there are two centres that we run in Petaling Jaya, therefore the total amount is RM100,000.

“We applied for the Bank Simpanan Nasional Micro/i-Kredit Prihatin aid but there is no news yet about our application.

“At the moment we are making a loss and we are trying our best not to close. Some futsal centres in PJ have already closed.”

He said the policymakers should engage them to find a solution to this problem.

“We understand that there is a pandemic but we want to know why futsal, for instance is not allowed to resume.

“If you can jog and play badminton, you should allow futsal too. When you jog outside, there is also a chance of you getting the virus as people are coming out to do some activities.

“The government should be consistent. Set up policy controls, engage with us and help us out with specific packages.”

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in announcing more easing up of the movement control order, said on Sunday that group sports would be allowed to resume as long as the nature of the sport does not involve body contact.

Among the activities allowed were bowling, badminton, archery, shooting, and other similar sports. Activities that are still not allowed include rugby, wrestling, boxing, football, basketball, and hockey.

For another futsal operator, Ebenezer Lasal of the Republic Of Futsal, also in Petaling Jaya, the MCO has caused him to lose hundreds of thousands of ringgit.

Ebenezer mirrored Roshan’s sentiments, and said his centre too has made no income for the past three months.

“I believe that with a strict SOP, futsal can certainly start once again. Temperature testing, sanitizers, cleanliness of courts and surroundings are some of the basics under the ‘new norm’.

“Perhaps reducing the number of people at a particular court can also help. For example, a single hour booking can now allow only 12 players maximum.

“Besides that, players are not allowed to bring their spouses, children, partners, family members, for a start.”

He said the operators can agree to ensure that players do not stick around after their game, and leave the premises immediately.

Futsal players, meanwhile, also urged the government to allow them to play their game again.

“We should be allowed to play contact sports because only the healthy and fit will be playing. As long as we sanitise our hands prior to playing, I think it should be fine.

“As long as we are all safe and clean, contact or no contact does not matter much. If you are sick and having a fever, stay away. Otherwise you are free to work out, run and play the best game in the world.

“The court management should also do their part and ensure the common areas are wiped down and kept sanitised always just like restaurants,” said Satheesh Kumar who is a financial consultant.

IT consultant Sri Shanker Krishnan also agreed that players should be allowed back to the court.

“Those playing are usually reasonably fit and healthy. Normal precautionary methods like hand sanitizing and temperature taking can be observed at the venue,” he said, adding that generally people were well aware of the situation and acted responsibly.

Another player, Miguel Garza, said futsal operators can limit the number of players in a court.

“It can be four-a-side instead of the present five or seven-a-side. At least we can continue to have a good workout and enjoy our favourite sport.”

Apart from sports, the government has allowed recreational activities such as fishing, including at commercial ponds and indoor busking.

These activities will be eased from June 10 onwards under the recovery movement control order, after almost three months of strict rules to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. – June 10, 2020.