JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 27 – Former international Safiq Rahim is paid to win matches for his team – not become a liability.
It was stupid of you to head butt Terengganu’s Faisal Halim, a rising star who is in national squad for next month’s AFF Suzuki Cup in Singapore.
It was an uncalled for incident that came 16 minutes into the match – at a time when Johor Darul Takzim had taken a healthy 3-0 lead (4-1 on aggregate, the first leg in Gong Badak had ended in a 1-1 stalemate)) with goals by Bergson Da Silva (two) and one by Gonzalo Cabrera scoring within the first 15 minutes.
Luckily for you, the Southern Tigers is a team made up of players (minus you) of strong character.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, they showed strong character in the match against Terengganu on Friday.
Your teammates were well aware that a lot was at stake – a place in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil this Tuesday.
For the record this year’s Malaysia Cup is celebrating its 100th Anniversary – and it is the oldest football competition in this region. Something we can be proud of.
Terengganu is a team that never gives up easily. Unfortunately, it was not their night at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru.
The head butt probably rattled the Turtles more than the Tigers.
It’s a shame that you chose to show your ugly side in front of the die hard JDT fans who came in full force to cheer their beloved team.
The fans were rewarded with a 3-0 win on the night and place in the Malaysia Cup final on a 4-1 aggregate against Kuala Lumpur City FC, who beat Melaka United 5-3 on penalties after being tied 2-2 on aggregate.
The Melaka United – KL City match was delayed for more than an our due to power failure.
Safiq, you believe you are hero but actually you are not. You have ignored young kids who lined up to shake hands with their ‘idol’ after a match…this is during times when the Larkin Stadium was the home to the Southern Tigers.
This is your second stint with the Southern Tigers after being given the boot and you had an unsuccessful stint with Melaka United before returning to JDT.
You deserve a severe penalty for what you did. Apart from the suspension sentence you also deserve a heavy fine.
In JDT, according to club owner HRH Major-General Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, indiscipline is a big NO, NO in his team. The Crown Prince has gone on record to say that players have been fined for being late for training.
So let’s see what happens with the head butt.
About The Author
