KUALA LUMPUR – Terengganu FC has no issues with its star players leaving the club, as the club is more focused on building a group of superstar players for the future.
The east coast club has produced some of the top players in the country over the past decade through the ranks of its youth teams, such as Faisal Halim, Suhaimi Husin, and Safawi Rasid, who ended up donning the iconic Harimau Malaya jersey.
The club has also been the favourite destination for several superstar players over the years, such as Liridon Krasniqi, Hairuddin Omar, Helton Soares, and Marcio Souza, who have won several major accolades with the club.
Haitian winger Sony Norde, who joined the club last year from Melaka United FC, became the latest star player to leave the club for Kedah FC last week.
Speaking to Scoop, the club’s chief executive officer, Mohd Sabri Abas, said that the club has decided to reduce its expenses for the new Malaysia Super League season and will never compromise its goal of giving more opportunities to Terengganu-based players in the team.
“We do have many star players coming in and leaving the club over the years, but we have never looked at it as an issue.
“We have loads of talent in our youth ranks, and we will continue to do our part in developing them to be the best.
“Our club is well-known for being one of the top feeder clubs for the national football team and will continue to play our part by giving the best for Harimau Malaya.
“We made some new signings this year, but our primary focus will be on giving minutes to our home-based players. I’m also happy to see some experienced players join the club, and we will fight for the Super League title this season,” Sabri said when contacted.
Terengganu, affectionately known as The Turtles by its fans, has recently brought in national footballers Muhammad Safawi Rasid and Akhyar Rashid from Johor Darul Ta’zim on loan for the new season.
At the same time, Sabri also supports and assures that the club’s recent signings will align with the forthcoming financial fair play (FFP) standards set by the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
It has been reported that the governing body will be introducing FFP as a new instrument to curb the issue of salary arrears that has often plagued several teams in the Malaysian league over the years.
“We are a club that always works within the budget that we have, and we always make sure that we adhere to the budget given to us without spending beyond it.
“That’s the reason we have yet to face any issues over the past years because we have always ensured everything is done within our financial plan.
“If MFL is planning to implement FFP, we will definitely support the initiative, as it will bring many benefits to the landscape of Malaysian football,” Sabri added.
Last season, Terengganu finished sixth in the Super League and were semi-finalists in the FA Cup and finalists in the Malaysia Cup.
JDT was crowned the Super League champions as they finished at the top of the league with 76 points and zero defeats.
The Turtles also performed decently in the AFC Cup last year, finishing second in their group. However, it was not enough to advance to the knockout stage. – April 5, 2024