Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee said he will only start with the best players regardless of their status in this season’s Super League competition.
This followed criticism from some quarters of his omission of local players in the match against Negeri Sembilan in the season opener last Friday.
He brushed aside the accusation and said there was no bias in his selection and he will only choose players who he thinks are best for the team.
“I don’t see this as a major issue… unless there are a few individuals who deliberately created problems to disrupt the team’s challenge in this season’s campaign.
“When I took over the team, there was no question raised as to whether I should play the locals or players from other states or countries. “All the players are to be assessed before the final decision on who will be in the starting line-up.
“What is important to me is that they can deliver (when) in the starting line-up. Every player on the pitch is not playing for themselves but for the Sabah FC’s logo on the shirt that they are wearing and they must be able to show their best in every match,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said Sabah FC will not underestimate PJ City FC in their second match of the season tonight at Likas Stadium starting at 7.30pm.
“This is going to be a challenging task and I believe the PJ City team are a pretty good team and have been together for about three years with the same players including experienced former internationals such as K. Gurusamy, Darren Lok, S. Kumaahran and Mahali Jasuli who are still very good.
“They have proven that even playing without any import players, they are still able to perform well as proven by the defeat of Melaka United in the opening match.
“In order to achieve a positive result against them, we must remain fully focused until the end of the match,” he said.
He added that a few of the imports who played well in the match against Negeri Sembilan FC are likely to keep their place in the team.
