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The year got off to an exciting start with Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT) taking pre-season a notch higher by jetting off to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in January 2020.
Having spent the season with friendlies in Thailand, the Malaysian champions were now testing their mettle against European and Middle Eastern teams in preparation for the AFC Champions League (ACL) as well as a record seventh-straight Malaysia Super League title.
The trip included supercars, a desert safari with four-wheelers and a trip the 'Salt Bae' restaurant, but let's leave that for another day.
February bore witness to the spectacular opening of the eagerly awaited state-of-the-art Sultan Ibrahim Stadium where JDT lifted the Charity Cup and recorded a win over Republic of Korea's Suwon Bluewings in the ACL.
But just as things got going on the pitch, football came to a grinding halt in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit football clubs and fans in many ways. Financially, an RM35 million deficit in revenue for the club was revealed by JDT owner HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor.
The Malaysia Super League resumed in August with JDT recording several comfortable results en route to the league title. Unfortunately, there were no fans to bear witness to yet another milestone and record-breaking moment. A subsequent escalation of Covid-19 resulted in the cancellation of the Malaysia Cup.
Yet, arguably, the biggest blow came when JDT had to forego its participation in the ACL due to a travel ban, thus prematurely ending JDT's 2020 season.
Off the pitch, however, the year kept unfolding until the end of December as JDT continued to take measures for the coming years, as seen here.
Although there will be no Dubai-like pre-season in 2021 due to travel restrictions and the quarantine process, there’s no reason not to be optimistic for the coming year.
For starters, stadiums will bring back an atmosphere of some sort by allowing attendance of up to 4,000; this will allow the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium to finally showcase and share its beauty with the fans.
Shops at the stadium are set to open at some point in 2021 as the stadium looks to welcome visitors on non-matchdays.
Barring any sanctions or restrictions, JDT will once again rub shoulders with Asia's best in the ACL and what a mouth-watering prospect that would be.
Transfer news brought some excitement for the fans following the announcement of youngster Danial Amier, with three or four more expected to follow suit in the coming weeks.
What else is in store?
Well, the club has always emphasised on ‘being a pioneer, not a museum’, so expect more exciting things to follow.
Among the teasers, the club has released thus far for 2021 is the release of docu-series 'Fearless: Rise of the Johor Southern Tigers' and something diamond-related. ─ The Vibes, 31 December, 2020
Former journalist Vijhay is Head of Content at Johor Darul Ta'zim FC following stints with Malay Mail, Sports247.my, FourFourTwo Malaysia and FOX Malaysia. You may have also heard him on BFM Football or watched him on Media Prima's football programmes. Vijhay can be reached at @vijhayvick on Twitter.
