KUALA LUMPUR: Armed Forces coach B. Sathianathan will consider himself a failure if he fails to land a silverware this season.
The Armed Forces management have set a target of winning a trophy this season after the Gladiators ended empty-handed in their debut in the Super League last year. They could only manage to finish sixth in the 12-team Super League and were knocked out in the first round of the FA Cup. In the Malaysia Cup, they were the semi-finalists.
“We have armed ourselves with quality signings and we should be able to win a silverware this time,” said Sathia, who led Forces to the Premier League title and promotion to the Super League in 2012.
“I believe winning a trophy is a fair ask from the management. I have been with the team for three years and I know what my players can achieve,” said Sathia during a player unveiling ceremony on Friday.
“I’m a failure if I don’t win a title this season. I have never failed to reach my target before and I really hope I don’t have to go through it (failure) this season,” added Sathia.
Forces have retained a number of key players, including former international midfielder Hairuddin Omar, from last season’s squad. Besides retaining top striker Marlon James and Argentinian midfielder Bruno Martelotto, the Gladiators have recently recruited Argentinian striker Juan Manuel Arostegui and Australian defender Spase Dilevski.
Arostegui is no stranger to the M-League. He scored 50 goals in 2003 and helped MPPJ win the Malaysia Cup.
In Friday’s ceremony, the players were warned by Armed Forces FA president Jeneral Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin to stay away from match-fixing.
“We are keeping a close watch on all the players. They must portray the image of the Armed Forces and we need to set an example to the public. They did well in the past seasons and I believe they will continue their good work this season,” said Jeneral Zulkifeli.
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