KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 – Premier League outfit, Negeri Sembilan has fulfilled the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) criteria laid down by the authorities to become the first team to resume training for the Malaysian Football League.
Negeri has submitted the results of the swab test for the players and team officials, approved by the team doctor, apart from appointing a coordinator who will monitor the team’s compliance with the SOP.
The team has also submitted the name of the training center, and the venue has been registered with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
Head coach, Sazali Saidon is one happy man and ready to take his team through the paces although it will be done under strict SOP.
Negeri is currently placed 10th in the 12-team Premier League when the MFL suspended the league on March 16 – two days before the lockdown on March 18 to check the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It will not be easy getting things in order but there is time to work things out for the seven remaining matches in the shortened league,” said the former international who hails from Johor Bahru.
“Our focus will be on the Malaysia Cup. This means we need to be in the top five to qualify for the Malaysia Cup. It is within our reach although we have to get positive results in the remaining seven league matches.
“The players have been training on their own during the MCO (Movement Control Order) but it is not the same when you train with the rest of the team.”
Sazali is also happy that his team does not have any issues with the late payment of salaries. To him, it is a “plus factor” as the players will be in the right frame of mind to be fully focused when they embark on the much-awaited journey.
Four matches into the season, Negeri won only once – a 2-0 win over UKM for their only points but Sazali is not too concerned with the statistics.
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