KUALA LUMPUR – Bojan Hodak openly admits that it was never easy for him to manage “superstar” status players during his time coaching for clubs in Malaysia.
The 53-year-old, who is currently the head coach of the Indonesian-based club Persib Bandung, has extensive experience in Malaysian football, including successful stints with Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), Kelantan FC, and Kuala Lumpur City FC.
Throughout his 15 years of experience, the Croatian coach has won every major title in the M-League, including the Malaysia Super League, Malaysia Cup, and FA Cup.
Speaking to Scoop, Bojan said that he always tends to experience fallout with local superstar players, citing that the players are unable to comprehend his honest take towards them.
“It’s not easy, especially for a foreign coach like myself, to handle and manage superstar players in Malaysia. Some of them tend to have high expectations and attitude issues but are not ready to accept constructive criticism.
“My intention has always been pure as a coach. Whichever club I coached in Malaysia, I always wanted to give the best for the club, fulfil the requirements of the club’s management, and make sure that all players perform at their 100%.
“But sometimes the superstar players in Malaysia never understand my intentions and tend to revolt without knowing the full context. For example, when I was at KL City, I had Safee Sali with me on my team.
“Though none of the clubs wanted him that season (2020/2021), I still brought him to the team out of respect, as he was considered a legendary player in the country.
“Though he was a good squad player during his time at KL City, there were many instances where he tended to create a toxic environment in the club whenever he didn’t receive much game time.
“He recently also shifted his vengeance towards me by documenting a video in the media questioning my level of team management.
“This is the kind of negative attitude that can never be found in superstar players in Indonesia, as they are always humble and, most importantly, they understand my intentions.
“Hence, it’s much easier for me to handle superstar players in Indonesia compared to Malaysia,” said Bojan when contacted.
Safee Sali, who joined KL City from Petaling Jaya City FC in 2020, went on to make 13 appearances for the club and featured in the 2-0 Malaysia Cup final win against JDT.
Safee, who scored 39 goals in 76 caps for Malaysia, is currently the president of the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia.
Aside from Safee, other high-profile local players Bojan coached during his time in Malaysia include Shukor Adnan, Indra Putra Mahayuddin, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak and Safiq Rahim.
Bojan, who currently manages Persib Bandung, currently sits second in the league (Liga 1) with 48 points, behind Borneo Samarinda.
His former club, KL City FC, has experienced player salary issues and has even been instructed by the Malaysian Football League to make the first payment of the salaries amounting to 50% by March 15 and a full settlement on or before March 29.
Failure to make the payment on the stipulated timelines will result in both clubs receiving a transfer ban with a fine or facing revocation of their national license by the first instance body. – March 7, 2024