Tham
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s former head coach Kelly Tham has taken the Sabah Football Club to task over their management of the state senior football squad.
Tham, who guided Sabah to the FA Cup title in 1995, has called for the management to step down for what he claimed poor handling of the welfare of the players.
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He made the remark after it has emerged in the social media last week allegedly stating that the players have not been paid of their salaries for three months, which led them to ‘boycotting’ training.
However, Sabah FC chief executive officer (CEO) Khairul Firdaus denied in a press release on Friday that the players were owed more than two months of salaries or the players boycotted training, but he did admit there was a delay in payment but not for more than a month.
Tham said it saddened him if the management was not able to pay the salary on time.
“The players’ welfare should be top of their priority. There should not be a delay in the payment of salary.
“You don’t expect the players to be in the right frame of mind to play well under such circumstances…they too have bills to pay each month,” he said here on Sunday.
Tham went on to question the need for Sabah FC to upgrade the facilities at the Likas Stadium when it was not even their property.
He said, if it was true, the SFC management must explain where did they get the fund to pay for the cost but on the other hand has not been able to pay the players’ salary on time.
Tham believed the negative impact brought by the salary issue has tarnished Sabah football and he claimed the management has betrayed the trust given to them by Sabah FC acting president Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
“I hope they will leave Sabah FC for the sake of the team and let more capable people to take over,” he said.
Sabah FC took on host Penang FC in their latest Super League fixture at Bandaraya Stadium on Sunday night.