KUALA LUMPUR – Kelantan Darul Naim FC (KDNFC) pledged not to follow in the footsteps of its fellow state club, Kelantan FC, by succumbing to a financial crisis.
It was reported that Kelantan FC would be excluded from the Malaysian Super League for the 2024-2025 season after the Malaysian Football League (MFL) rejected the club’s appeal for a national licence.
The East Coast club had previously submitted an appeal to the appellate body following the decision of the First Instance Body (FIB), which rejected the national licence application due to ongoing financial problems.
Mired by these issues, Kelantan FC finished at the bottom of the 2023 Super League among the 14 competing teams, with eight points after losing 22 matches and securing only two wins and a draw.
KDNFC, on the other hand, formerly known as Kelantan United FC (KUFC), participated in the same league last season.
Speaking to Scoop, KDNFC president Rozi Muhamad admitted that the club had encountered a similar situation last season due to overspending by its management.
However, Rozi admitted that his management has learnt from their mistakes and is prepared to rectify them in the new season.
“We also faced a similar situation last season when we overspent on bringing in some foreign players to the club, which hindered our funding.
“We have learnt from our mistakes and will be working within our budget for this season, prioritising our local Kelantanese players, and nurturing talent from our youth ranks to represent our club.
“The management has also decided to reduce our expenditure by 40% to prevent a situation like that of our fellow state club.
“So far, everything is progressing well as we have recently secured new sponsors. With increased funding, we aim to become even better and improve our standings in this season’s Super League campaign,” said Rozi when contacted.
KDNFC recently secured sponsorship worth RM600,000 from a local sports equipment and clothing manufacturer brand, PUC Sport, for the new season.
The club is also undergoing a restructuring in its coaching setup, with former national footballer Rezal Zambery Yahya being handed the role of assistant head coach.
The appointment of the new head coach will be announced by the beginning of next month.
KDNFC finished in 12th position in last season’s Super League with 17 points. – March 21, 2024