Sarawak out of Malaysia League for 2018

0

Posa (centre) flanked by Duke (left) and Razali Dolhan yesterday.

KUCHING: The Crocs will have to sit out next season’s Malaysia League following the failure of the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) to acquire the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) license.

Sarawak was deemed to have failed to fulfil the criteria required by FAM.

“Some of the things are beyond us and involved the previous management,” FAS president Datuk Posa Majais told reporters after chairing an FAS executive committee meeting at State Stadium yesterday.

It was revealed that FAS was indebted to Social Security Organisation (Socso), Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

When pressed further, Posa refused to go on record about the amount of debt but sources close to the association believe the figure is almost RM1 million.

Apart from Sarawak, four other teams – Felda United, Kedah, Kelantan and Melaka United – are facing a similar fate.

FAS Club licensing officer Abang Abdul Rahman Abang Naim said the five teams made appeals for the license but all were turned down.

“Sarawak’s case is more into financial criteria. Three of the criteria based on the official letter. No 1, is Audited Account for 2016. No 2, Audited Account Interim for 2017 half of 2017, god willing we will solve this. Last but not least, bad debt to the authorities like EPF, Socso and IRB – for the previous years from 2012 to 2016 – and the deadline will be 16 of October to solve all these problems,” he said further.

A recent FAM press statement stated that teams are assessed in six key criteria – sporting, infrastructure, personnel and administration, legal, financial and business under the FAM club licensing regulations edition 2017.

To make matters worse, FAS secretary general Razali Dolhan revealed that Sarawak will be facing a minimum of three years suspension from all football activities in Malaysia.

“We did face this problem in 2007, minimum 3 years suspension and fine, no football activities will be allowed – local tournament included. This is a very serious scenario,” he stressed.

When asked for any solution to the impasse, Posa replied that the previous FAS management must submit a detailed audit report to FAM for the national body to accept or not to accept.

“They must complete the audit report for us to submit to KL, we really seek their co-operation, if they love Sarawak football,” Posa said.

Also present at yesterday’s event were FAS vice presidents Duke Janteng, Cassidy Morris and Abang Suhordie Abang Zaini.