Ibrahim being cheered by his players and team officials after the Sarawak Cup final match between Samarahan and Sarawak ATM at the Stadium Negeri on Saturday. — Photo by Muhd Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: He came, he saw and he ended Samarahan’s five-year wait to lift the Sarawak Cup after defeating Sarawak ATM 1-0 in the final held at the Stadium Negeri on Saturday.
Ibrahim Mentali was only appointed head coach by Samarahan Division Football Association (PBBS) this year.
Many football fans would remember him as the tireless midfielder on the legendary Sarawak team that won the FA Cup in 1992 and the Piala Sumbangsih in 1998.
Known for his no-nonsense approach akin to his mentor and former state coach Alan Vest, he is never the type of man who could accept mediocre performances from his players.
One example was during a group match against Betong last week where he blasted his players despite winning the match 2-1.
Samarahan last won the Sarawak Cup in 2008 under Awang Jobli Awang Bidin.
Before this year’s tournament, PBBS patron Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah lamented he could not wait any longer to see the Los Cocos take the cup again and he summoned the players to go all out this year.
His strategy of offering handsome incentives should the players lift the cup has now definitely paid off.
“During the last edition of the Sarawak Cup in 2012, team Samarahan were eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-final stages. I was disappointed by that as we had high hopes of winning,” he had said during a dinner held by the association before the tournament.
The next edition of the Sarawak Cup is scheduled to be held two years from now.