KUALA LUMPUR – Terengganu FC head coach Tomislav Steinbruckner is hopeful that the video assistant referee (VAR) system, to be introduced by the Malaysia Football League (MFL) next season, will help prevent referees from making controversial decisions in the years to come.
The 57-year-old Croatian believes that the outcome for the Turtles in last night’s Malaysia Cup final may have been different if VAR was present in their 3-1 defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
“Despite the poor condition of the pitch, we played really well for 70 minutes, controlling the match and dominating in many areas.
“The referee was against us, as we were not awarded our penalties while our opponents got theirs. In my opinion, the referee should have at least awarded us three penalties.
“I’m not entirely blaming the referees, but I think the introduction of VAR can help them make better decisions from next year onwards.
“However, I believe that my boys played well in today’s final, and I’m proud of bringing them this far in this prestigious tournament in my first year as the coach of this club.
“We will now focus fully on doing well in our AFC Cup match against Bali United on December 13,” said Steinbruckner in last night’s post-match conference.
The introduction and implementation of the VAR system next season is estimated to have cost MFL a whopping RM9.7 million.
Meanwhile, JDT head coach Esteban Solari dedicates his team’s victory to club owner Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ) and hopes he can lead his team to maintain their winning momentum in the following years.
“I would like to take this moment to thank his royal highness TMJ for trusting me and bringing me into this fantastic club.
“I really admire his commitment and dedication to JDT and the way he has been providing us with everything we need to make ourselves stronger.
“Thanks to TMJ’s influence, the standard of our local football league has also elevated.
“I am happy to win the treble in my first season at this club, and I hope to continue winning titles for this club and the fans in the upcoming years,” said Solari.
JDT are now the second Malaysian team to achieve the treble after Kedah in 2007 and 2008.
Solari has now become the first JDT coach to win a treble in his first season at the club.
The Malaysia Cup final saw a total of 80,550 fans attending. – December 9, 2023