PETALING JAYA: It’s not going to be a walk in the park for new Kelantan coach Frank Bernhardt (pic).
Kelantan owner Norizam Tukiman has set a Key Performance Index (KPI) demand for the German coach who could face the firing squad if the Red Warriors loses five matches in a row.
Bernhardt was initially announced to serve Kelantan as their technical director two weeks ago but suddenly found himself taking over the reins after South Korean coach Choi Moon-sik was “rested” last week.
Moon-sik’s agent Myeongho Jeong has threatened to file a complaint with FIFA on the unprofessional handling while Norizam has countered that they too are prepared to take legal action.
Norizam said he will not hesitate to sack Bernhardt if he fails to achieve the KPI.
He also expects the team to improve under the German coach, who had previously coached UiTM and the national Under-23 team.
“I have told Frank Bernhardt that he’s a professional coach and I know about his work with UiTM. I gave him a target (not to lose five matches in a row) and I hope he achieves it,” said Norizam, who bought Kelantan in 2020.
“If he can’t achieve the KPI, we will have to change, it’s normal. I cannot just ignore it if the team cannot get results.
“If a coach is good, he can make the team produce results from the first day,” said Norizam in an interview with a television station.
Bernhardt was in charge of his first match as Kelantan’s coach with less than three days of preparation as the team fell 0-3 to Selangor at MBPJ Stadium last Sunday.
Kelantan are currently placed 13th in the 14-team Super League standings with four points after eight matches from a win, a draw and six defeats.
Kelantan will next take on M3 side Manjung City in the third round of the FA Cup at the Manjung City Council Stadium tomorrow.
They will resume their Super League campaign against Sabah at the Likas Stadium on April 19.
