PETALING JAYA: Kelantan’s foreign players – Mohd Ghaddar Mahmoud and Obinna Nwanneri – are set to play their last game for the Red Warriors on Tuesday.
They will take their bow when they feature in Kelantan’s final AFC Cup Group G match against Hong Kong’s South China at the Mongkok Stadium.
Both players have been de-registered from the M-League, which has taken a break and will resume on May 5.
It is learnt that the team;s management are fed up with Lebanese Ghaddar’s injuries and Nigerian Obinna’s poor form.
The east coast giants have signed Ghanaian international Prince Tagoe, who used to play for German Division One club Hoffenheim, to strengthen their strikeforce. The striker, however, is ineligible for tonight’s AFC Cup match.
Kelantan’s chances of advancing to the round of 16 in the AFC Cup had long ended after collecting only three points to prop up the standings. South China are third in the four-team group with four points.
Group G leaders Ninh Binh of Vietnam (13 points) and second-placed Yangon United of Myanmar (nine points) have already sealed their berths in the knockout stages.
Kelantan’s interim coach Mohd Hashim Mustapha, who took over the reins from Englishman Steve Darby last week, will be looking to salvage some pride from tonight’s game.
The Red Warriors’ only win in the competition came against the Hong Kong side – in a 2-0 triumph in Kota Baru last month.
So, Hashim expects his men to do the same to South China again.
But he will first have to lift his players’ morale following their 1-0 loss to Sarawak in the Super League last week.
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