PETALING JAYA, July 22 – With the state government coming to the rescue to settle salary arrears for players and officials – Premier League leaders Sarawak United are all fired up for their ”home coming” this Sunday’s match against Perak 2 at the State Stadium in Kuching.
It is the first home match for the Golden Hornbills this year and head coach E. Elavarasan and Sarawak United technical director B. Satiananthan, are “delighted and excited” with that.
Sarawak United is returning home after having made the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka as their temporary home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The match against Perak 2 would not have come at a better time for Sarawak United, who are still reeling from the shared points with Selangor 2 at the Manjung Stadium in Perak last Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Referee Mohamad Faizzuddin Ismail made a mess of the outcome when he awarded Selangor 2 a penalty for hands when the ball is clearly seen hitting Sarawak defender Zahril Azri Zabri’s face in the 50th minutes after Uche Agba had given the Sarawak outfit the lead in added time before the interval.
Selangor’s Ghanaian import George Attram scored the equaliser in the late afternoon match which was postponed from April 7 due to bad weather at the Selayang Stadium.
Elavarasan, is still seething with the poor decision by the match official, but hopes the FA of Malaysia (FAM) will take note of the incident.The title chase could develop into a two-horse race between the Golden Hornbills and second-placed Negeri Sembilan, who are on 24 and 22 points respectively.
The focus is now on the match against Perak FC – a match that has developed into ”high profile”.
A win for the Golden Hornbills will be a perfect present from the team to the people of Sarawak who celebrated Independence Day on Thursday (22nd July 2021).
Sarawak United has a big fan base, not only in the state but also in the peninsula.
”The players are in the right mood and fully focused. We thank the state government for settling the salary arrears and it has given the team a big morale boost,” said Elavarasan who in the same breath, praised his players for their patience in coping with off the field woes.
Satiananthan, whose work has also been hampered by the pandemic and lack of funds, hopes it will be the beginning of new things to come. The former national coach was also a victim of salary arrears.
“Thanks to the state government, we hope to see light at the end of the tunnel in our bid to develop the game in Sarawak. The state government’s needs to be lauded for its efforts but those in the FA set up also need to play their part.
“There is only so much the (state) government can do. Hope the president and his team can bring more sponsors and funds for the team and development of Sarawak football,” said Satiananthan a former national coach who is also the president of the Football Coaches Association of Malaysia.
The president of Sarawak United FC is Dato Posa Majais, who was recently elected as one of FAM’s vice-presidents.
(Pic credit to SUFC official)
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