KUALA LUMPUR – After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Kuching City FC is determined to return stronger by aiming for a top-eight finish in the upcoming 2024/2025 Malaysia Super League season.
Affectionately known as Il Gatto (The Cats) by its fans, the club has been on a player signing spree, with Liberian striker Tchetche Kipre being their latest acquisition.
The 36-year-old brings vast experience from his time in the M-League, having had stints with Terengganu FC, Kedah FC, and Kuala Lumpur City, scoring a total of 66 goals.
Speaking to Scoop, Kuching City FC chief executive officer, Iswandi Ali Hassan, said that with the addition of an experienced player like Kipre, the club aims to address their consistency issues, which plagued them last season.
The East Malaysian club made a comeback to the Super League last year after spending three seasons in the M3 League (2020/2021, 2021/2022, and 2022/2023).
Kuching finished 13th with 12 points in the Super League last season.
“It won’t be an easy season for us, considering the strength of all the teams with their recent signings. Last season, we started well but couldn’t maintain momentum and nearly faced relegation.
“We’re determined not to repeat the same mistakes this season and are taking our planning seriously. Our target is to finish eighth or higher. We recognise the challenges but have full trust in our team and players. With a mix of experienced and young players, the team looks more cohesive.
“Kipre’s signing is significant for us. We’re pleased to have such an experienced player who believes in our club’s direction. It’s rare to see a 36-year-old ready to guide our youngsters.
“Kipre also expressed his interest in experiencing Borneo’s culture, having played in Peninsular Malaysia for various clubs. We’re currently searching for the right partner for Kipre in attack and looking at signing players with the same attribute as Kipre,” said Iswandi when contacted.
At the same time, Iswandi revealed that its management is currently working on arranging pre-season matches for its players for the new season.
“Our pre-season plans have been slower than other clubs due to scheduling issues, especially with Hari Raya celebrations. However, we’ve managed to arrange a few competitive matches for our players before the new season.
“We’re heading to Johor soon for a series of friendly matches against Young Lions FC from the Singapore League (April 21) and Melaka United FC from the M3 league (April 24).
“From April 29 to May 5, we’ll participate in a four-corner friendly tournament against Sabah FC, Kuala Lumpur FC, and Geylang FC from Singapore to test the mobile VAR system which was implemented by the Malaysia Football League (MFL) for the new season.
The introduction and implementation of the VAR system this season are estimated to have cost the MFL a total of RM9.7 million.
Apart from Kipre, Kuching FC, under the guidance of Singaporean Aidil Sharin, has also signed Brazilians Bruno Dybal and Pedro Henrique. – April 15, 2024