A promise of good things to come

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KUCHING: Sarawak, sporting a new image and identity coupled with renewed vigour, are set to take on the challenge of the new season in the Premier League when they face Police in the opener at Sarawak Stadium here tonight.

The fans will be eager to know how the team will fare in the Malaysia League this season and one way of doing so is to turn up at Sarawak Stadium, starting tonight at 8.15pm, and render their strong support to the team.

This season, Sarawak are managed by a new private entity FAS FMG Sdn Bhd in close cooperation with Football Association of Sarawak (FAS).

FAS FMG Sdn Bhd is led by chairman Datu Sudarsono Osman, who is a former FAS deputy president, and director Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, who is the FAS secretary.

Speaking to the media at the contract signing ceremony of players for the new season last month, Sudarsono hoped that the new squad would be able to revive the glory days of state football.

“I hope that with the creation of the new management for the team this season, we will strive to resolve several problems of the team especially in aspects of finance and player welfare,” he said.

“I am confident that with the new management team, which is professional, we can get the state team back to their glory days,” he       said.

As such, he urged the players to give their full commitment and high fighting spirit in facing the challenge for the new season.

“We are a new management for the team, therefore I am confident that the players will play with renewed spirit to restore the image and pride of the state team this season,” he said.

Sudarsono, who is no stranger to the Sarawak footballing scene, said although there was no specific target for the team in the 2010 Malaysia League, he hoped that the team would finish among the top four in the 12-team Premier League.

He also hoped that all the players would prove their capabilities respectively to strengthen the state team.

“Our fans and supporters will be banking their hopes on the team to give their best performance and bring it to a higher level,” he said.

The setting up of FAS FMG Sdn Bhd was an initiative taken by FAS to lessen and resolve the debts amounting to RM3 million and at the same time form a team to participate in the Malaysia League without having to worry about financial problems.

Plagued by debts, FAS had resorted to taking a ‘three-year leave’ from the Malaysia League late last year.

With FAS FMG Sdn Bhd managing the team, the players will be able to place their full focus and attention on playing the games and not worry about payment of salaries or their welfare.