PETALING JAYA: Patience seems to be wearing thin in the Kuala Lumpur Rovers team due to salary arrears.
Rumours abound that the A1 Semi-Pro League side could skip tomorrow’s Malaysia Cup round of 16 first-leg match against defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri as players and coaches are owed four months’ salary.
But the team’s coach Wan Mustapha Wan Ismail said players had not come to him in regards to boycotting the game against the Southern Tigers.
He had even given his 22-man squad list for the match.
“I understand what the boys are going through, it is never easy to manage life when there are arrears. Talks of boycott? No one has come to me,” said Mustapha.
No peace of mind: KL Rovers coach Wan Mustapha Wan Ismail has debunked rumours that his players are boycotting the Malaysia Cup. — KL Rovers
“I do not know what they do behind me but so far, no one has told me that they are not going to play against JDT.
“Actually, on Nov 17, we thrashed Machan 10-1 in the league, and that shows that the boys are giving their commitment to the club despite the issues.
“As a coach, I’m always there on the training field and matches. Whatever decisions the boys make as a team, they can always discuss it with me.
“We will be leaving for Johor Baru today, and that is the plan for now.”
The club have been mired by financial issues with the club management notifying players and coaches that the sponsorship money pledged to the team have not been released.
“The players have worked hard for the club and we are always among the top four clubs in the league. We are third now, just five points away from first-placed Melaka in the standings,” said Mustapha.
“Despite the issues, we qualified for the Malaysia Cup on merit for the second time in a row. The management have received our squad list and we also hope the financial matter will be resolved.”
KL Rovers were the runners-up of the A1 Semi-Pro League in 2022 and 2023. In their debut Malaysia Cup last year, they were thrashed 0-7 by Terengganu on aggregate in the round of 16.
