Past memories: Perak celebrate their 2000 Malaysia Cup victory with late coach Karl Weigang after beating Negri Sembilan in Shah Alam.
PETALING JAYA: Perak are out of next year’s Super League - unless they can find a white knight in a hurry.
Owners XOX have officially pulled out and this will see Perak out of the league for the first time in a century, which marks a sad day for Malaysian football.
Perak football, founded in 1921 (104 years ago), had played in every league until now. They have won the Malaysia Cup eight times.
Club chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi said the owners XOX had officially withdrawn from next season’s Super League and bringing the state team's journey to a sad closure.
"We started with big dreams - to build something sustainable, something Perakians could be proud of. We believed that with your support, we could create a club that wasn’t just competitive, but rooted in community and passion," said Azmi in a statement.
"We walked into a club burdened by nearly RM8mil in unpaid wages from the past. We cleared that, and we gave everything we had - time, belief, and nearly RM40mil over three years.
"But the reality is that the support we needed didn’t grow the way we hoped. Support from Perak's public and private sectors never came in and the expected growth in Perak’s subscriber base fell very short of expectations.
"The internal funds have now dried up, and we just can’t keep going.
"Whatever funds remain - from merchandise, league dues, and our final budget - will go towards settling what we owe. It will not be enough, but it's all we have left."
Azim said the team will continue to operate to sell their remaining merchandise, to raise funds.
Every single cent raised will be diverted to the obligations due, no different to the past three years, where every single cent derived from income went to the wellbeing and the operations of the club.
Azim said the club was for sale and has asked any conglomerates or businesses to come forward and state their interest.
