ipMLeage...Perak's V.Saravanan screams in delight after scoring first goal for Perak during their Premeir One match in Perak Stadium last night./pic by SAZUKI EMBONG/april 26/2003..
PETALING JAYA: When V. Saravanan left Perak earlier this season to resume his career in Finland, he did so with hope – that the club he once starred for would continue thriving and nurturing future national players.
Now, that hope is in tatters.
The former Perak striker was left stunned after learning that the Seladang had pulled out of the Super League season next year, following an announcement by the club’s backers that they could no longer afford to fund the team.
Saravanan, 47, who played for Perak from 1998 to 2004 and helped the team lift two Malaysia Cups (1998, 2000), said it was devastating blow.
“First, it was announced that the team wouldn’t be sending squads for the President and Youth Cups. I thought maybe the owners wanted to focus solely on the first team,” he said.
“But now, to hear that they are shutting down completely and only pay 20 percent of six months’ worth of owed salaries. It is heartbreaking.
“Perak have been a cornerstone of Malaysian football. If they disappear, it would be a massive loss for the country.”
Saravanan, who briefly returned as Perak’s assistant coach in 2023, said he personally witnessed the emergence of several promising talents - and now fears for their future.
“Moses Raj and Ahmad Daniel Hakimi (Ahmad Azmil) were among the players I helped groom. Moses even made it to the national Under-19 team,” he said.
“I worry for these youngsters. They’ll now have to scramble for new clubs. It’s tough, and I really empathise with them.
“I still hope someone will step in to save the club and rebuild it. Perak must not die.”
