KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 – It was a double dose of good news for Premier League’s Sarawak United FC before kickstarting their new season with a tough match against Kelantan United FC on March 6.
With the prevailing weather conditions, the afternoon match at 4 pm is scheduled to be played under hot and humid conditions at the Selayang Municipal Stadium.
However, the Sarawak United FC management is in negotiations to have the match played in cooler conditions at 9pm at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka.
Sarawak United head coach E. Elavarasan has also tightened up his last line of defense by signing up former international goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee (pic left).The Kuala Terengganu-born football nomad played for Pahang last season.
The 34-year-old Sharbinee brings with him a wealth of experience. Apart from playing for the National Under-23 (2006-2009) and the National team (2010-2012), Sharbinee also had two stints with his home state (2006-2012 and 2014-2017).
He played for Selangor (2013-2014) and Kuala Lumpur (2018-2019) before moving to Pahang last season.
“Sharbinee has agreed to play for us. He will give the team more stability in the last line of defense,” said Elavarasan who also coached the team last season when the M-League was decided over one round instead of two rounds.
“Playing the match against Kelantan at night will be cooler. The present hot and humid conditions are not conducive for a good football match. Hopefully, we will be able to get the match played at night.”
Brazilian striker Sandro Mendonca will arrive on Saturday while Uche Agba the Nigerian hitman is already in town and serving out his seven-day quarantine. The duo is not likely to play against Kelantan United.
On Saturday, Sarawak United will play Kedah Darul Aman FC (KDA FC) in a friendly match at the Sime Darby Stadium in Bukit Jelutong.
Kedah will face seven-time Super League champions Johor Darul Takim (JDT) for the Charity Shield on March 5 in the curtain-raiser.
The season’s opener will be played at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru.
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