KUALA LUMPUR, 3 July – Kelantan football took another beating off the field when Kelantan FA (Kafa) vice president, Datuk Mohd Rowi Abdullah quit his post on Thursday.
It is another body blow for the East Coast state who ply their trade in the lower tier, Premier League. It comes in the wake of Kafa president, Datuk Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah and his deputy Datuk Seri Afandi Hamzah told to take a “rest” at the end of last month.
Kafa vice president, Datuk Shaari Mat Hussin was appointed as the acting president with immediate effect.
Kelantan’s financial crisis deepened when the FA of Malaysia suspended all leagues in the country on March 16 – two days before the country was lockdown by the federal government to check the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic which has hit the world.
Kafa landed in hot soup after their former Brazilian import, Cassio de Jesus filed a case with Fifa – the world football governing body – over the long overdue payments in salaries and other fees.
The Brazilian is owed close to RM630,000 during his two-year stint with the Red Warriors in 2018 and 2019.
Kelantan – currently seventh in the Premier League – plies it football trade on a shoe-string budget. The East Coast hopefuls also owed the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
To make matters worse for Kelantan some of their sponsors who had pledged for the new season left the team in a lurch when they abandoned Kafa.
