PETALING JAYA: Salary issues in Kedah has left head coach Nafuzi Zain with no other option but to field the Under-23 squad for their Super League fixture against Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.
Kedah’s regular line-up of senior players have been absent from training for the past week as the club have been facing salary arrears for several months.
They are currently sitting in eighth in the table.
Nafuzi said the youth squad will be taking to the field at the Cheras Stadium tomorrow, but anything can happen before that.
“The Under-23 squad will be the ones that take on Kuala Lumpur. They have been training since last Tuesday when training resumed,” said Nafuzi.
“We don’t know what will happen in the next day before the match.”
Nafuzi has to work with what he has even though the training period for the youngsters was less than ideal.
“With such a short preparation and training period, we will accept the outcome, whatever it may be.
“We can’t predict what will happen as some of the players have just returned from their breaks after competing at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and are only just returning to training,” he said.
Nafuzi added that he hopes the financial issues faced by the club could be resolved soon.
“I think everyone is aware of the situation at the club now. I just hope it can be resolved soon because the impact is big on the team,” he said.
The tough situation for Kedah does not help them in the table as the Canaries have only eight points after eight matches in the Super League so far.
Kedah have won three matches, suffered three losses with two draws, but had three points docked due to failing to settle their salary arrears for 2023.
The situation isn’t better in Kuala Lumpur as the team have also been plagued with salary arrears for the past few months, but the City Boys are still determined to play and may have the upper hand against Kedah’s youth.
Equal with Kedah in terms of wins and losses, Kuala Lumpur unfortunately sit in 11th position with just five points after they were handed a six-point deduction due to discrepancies and false declarations in their club licensing application.
