PETALING JAYA: Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has stunned the local football fraternity after announcing that he has decided to step back from managing Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT).
The Tunku Mahkota of Johor, announced this through a post on the Johor Southern Tigers website.
"Due to my other responsibilities and commitments, I have decided to step down and hand over the day-to-day affairs of the JDT football club to the club's top management.
"I wish the best for the club and all," he said.
The decision clearly surprised the JDT supporters but it is believed the move is related to the Johor state administration.
Tunku Ismail will still remain the owner but leaves the management of the club to those who are already in the team.
Tunku Ismail was the galvanising character in transforming the team to become the giant of the local football scene.
Under his charge, JDT romped to eight consecutive Super League titles, two Malaysia Cups and one FA Cup.
They are not only the champions on local turf but also made history by winning the AFC Cup in 2015.
JDT made history recently when they became the first team from Malaysia to qualify for the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League (ACL).
