KUALA LUMPUR, 4 Aug – Last year’s FA Cup champions, Kedah can breathe easy now after new Kedah FA president, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (pic) assured the Red Eagles’ to resolve the team’s financial mess on a ”win-win” situation.
It is probably a birthday present to the Red Eagles who have not been paid their salaries for the past five months from Sanusi who celebrated his 46th birthday on Tuesday (Aug 4).
After months of uncertainty over the non-payment of salaries for five months, the team is finally seeing light at the end of the runner with the FA supremo gave the assurance that the long-overdue March salary for players and team officials will be paid by August 15.
The salary arrears from April to July will be worked out through negotiations between the players, officials, and the KFA management.
Sanusi, who is also the Kedah Menteri Besar, also revealed that the outstanding Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Inland Revenue Board (IRB) stands at RM3.8 million will have to be settled fast.
A Special Finance Committee will be formed soon to tackle the financial mess that rocked Kedah football – sending shock waves in the football fraternity as the northern state had no previous case of salary arrears.
”It will be a win-win situation for all the parties concerned and the best method will be worked out through negotiations with the KFA management,” said Sanusi in a statement released on Tuesday after the eighth KFA Executive meeting for 2018-2022 season in Alor Setar on Monday.
It was also revealed that the Kedah’s bloated squad of 48 individuals, including players and team officials, contributed towards the financial constraints.
For the remainder of the 2020 season, Kedah needs a minimum of RM25 million for the team that is currently seventh in the Super League with four points after four matches before the league was suspended on March 16 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, former international and Kedah player, Radhi Mat Din, who was recently elected as KFA vice-president, was named the team’s management chairman.
Kedah has lined up a number of friendlies matches against Selangor and Perak before the team resumes its Super League campaign with an away match against Police at the KL Football Stadium in Cheras on Aug 27.
The Red Eagles will be at home to Petaling Jaya City FC on Sept 2 before traveling to the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium for the match against Felda United (Sept 6) and it will be another home match when they play Sabah on Sept 9.
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