KUALA LUMPUR – PDRM FC are committed to completing the 2024/2025 Malaysia League (M-League) season without facing financial issues, despite being the team with the lowest budget this season, reportedly under RM10 million.
PDRM FC chief executive officer Mohamad Hafiz Zainal Abidin said that the Sang Saka Biru squad face their own challenges but has received support from the owners.
He said that the current standing of the club coached by P. Maniam in fifth place in the Super League is impressive considering their low budget.
“Honestly, we are struggling in terms of funding, and we are grateful to have very supportive and, I would say, generous owners.
“…and the issue of salaries or low financial allocation, with what we are spending and where we are now, already makes me happy. But maintaining it is the challenge, whether my players can remain at their best all the time,” he said in a recent interview.
When asked whether there was a guarantee that salary arrears would not affect PDRM until the end of the season, Hafiz replied: “No, I can guarantee that it will not happen.”
PDRM, the 2023 Malaysia Football League (MFL) Challenge Cup champions, are currently fifth in the Super League standings with 15 points after 11 matches, just two points behind third-placed Terengganu FC.
At the end of last month, three Super League clubs facing player salary arrears were immediately fined RM15,000 by the independent Financial Fair Play First Instance Body.
Meanwhile, Hafiz said that maintaining their current momentum in the league will require hard work from both players and management.
“Our performance is a bit ‘yo-yo,’ nothing to be overly proud of or too happy about. Of course, everyone is talking about us being in the top five, so it’s not bad, but maintaining that momentum requires a lot of hard and efficient effort from all players and management,” he said. – October 17, 2024