KUALA LUMPUR — Kelantan The Red Warriors (Kelantan TRW) players were made to travel by express bus for away matches and subsist on packed meals, despite competing in Malaysia’s professional football league, former Kelantan Football Association (KAFA) honorary president Tan Sri Annuar Musa said.
Such treatment for the players prompted him to sever his involvement with the club last year, he said.
Annuar, who held the honorary presidency role during his tenure with KAFA, said he could no longer remain associated with the team after becoming aware of conditions he described as inconsistent with professional standards, particularly in relation to player welfare.
"I could not accept it when I heard that the players were travelling to Kuala Lumpur by bus. The players were also eating packed meals.
"I then informed the club owner (Norizam Tukiman) that I needed to withdraw. I wanted to preserve our friendship because he is my friend and was once my officer.
"I also respect him as the club owner," he said in a video uploaded on the Facebook page of Kelantan Wan Tendong Stable FC.
Annuar said he chose not to make his departure public at the time as he did not want to disrupt team morale during the ongoing league campaign.
"That is why I did not make any announcement. I did not want to affect the team's morale. However, I informed him of my decision and he agreed for me to withdraw from the role last year," he said.
Although no longer in an official role, Annuar said he continued to assist the club and others informally behind the scenes.
"Since then, I have not attended training sessions or followed the team directly. However, I still help in the background, just as I assist other teams as well.
"I do not have any personal issues with anyone. But what has happened should serve as an important lesson for Kelantan football," he added.
Annuar, who served as KAFA president from 2009 to 2016, is widely credited with overseeing Kelantan’s most successful era in modern football history, during which the Kelantan TRW emerged as a dominant force in Malaysian football, including a historic domestic treble in 2012.
He said the current situation underscored the need for stronger governance and accountability in Kelantan football, stressing that leadership must be backed by financial commitment and long-term planning.
"Kelantan football should be managed by Kelantanese. The football team should be run by people from Kelantan.
"Anyone who wants to manage Kelantan football must be a genuine owner who is willing to invest. Holding an honorary position alone is not enough," he said.
Kelantan TRW have been plagued by financial instability and operational challenges in recent seasons, culminating in their failure to secure a national licence for the upcoming Super League campaign.
The latest revelation has further intensified scrutiny over the club’s management standards and raised renewed questions about how a once-dominant Malaysian football powerhouse descended into crisis. - June 1, 2026
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