SABAH FC will be taking on Kelantan The Real Warriors in the quarter-final first leg of the FA Cup at the Sultan Mohammad IV Stadium this Friday.
After witnessing the Super League match against the same team at Likas Stadium in August, which ended goalless, I believe we stand a good chance to overcome them in this tie.
We managed to create a lot of scoring chances then and I am confident that we will be able to create as much and with better finish, the win should be our taking.
However, we must be aware that they could cost us problems especially with the home ground advantage.
I am sure they will try to turn the table on us. My only concern is the availability of players in this match.
Hopefully, the injured players will be back in action and we are able to field the best starting 11, but at the same time, the match fitness of these players will also be in doubt.
No matter what, whoever wins the trust of head coach Jena-Paul de Marigny must work extra hard to make sure that we can secure a vital victory. This will provide a cushion before facing them again in the return leg at Likas Stadium.
We failed to reach the semi-final last year after being dumped out 1-2 by Kuala Lumpur City FC in the quarter-final.
Now, here is a chance for us to redeem the failure last year and progress one stage further.
Many of the players in the team have the experience. They do know talk is cheap and it can only be done on the pitch and hopefully they can deliver.
On another note, I guess the hot topic on everyone’s lips at the moment is the Malaysian football debacle where Fifa announced the suspension of seven Malaysian players of mixed heritage, citing irregularity in documentation and eligibility verification.
FAM was also fined RM1.8 million for the offence. This is not only a setback for FAM and Malaysian football in general, it also put us on the world map for the wrong reason.
I hope it will be a wake-up call for those responsible and that there is no short cut for instant success.
We must have trust in our home-grown players and focus on the development of those who are living here instead of busy looking for foreign-born players to make the team strong.
It is a naïve move and it also saddened me to see our national team now look like they are from one of the European countries.
