'It's time for a major shake-up'
Published on: Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Former Rhino Bobby Chua said Sabah Football Association (Safa) needs a major shake-up in order to make Sabah Rhinos great again.The Inanam lad, who played seven years for the State team before being sold for "RM9.95" by Safa to Sarawak in 1998 where he had a successful career for another eight years and was also given the Croc's captain armband, is the highest profile ex-player to voice out his frustration following the team's worst start of the season for years.The team are currently second from bottom in the Premier League with only one win and lost the other four matches under French coach Steve Vilmiaire.
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"It is agonising for the fans who have already suffered long enough to see their team playing in the second division, and now they have to bare the pain of watching the team fast becoming whipping boys in the country as well."The 2-5 home defeat to ATM should be a rude awakening to the association and it is a clear sign that the management needs to change big time. People who have been there since I started my career and contributed nothing should be kicked out if they still failed to realise that they are liabilities to the association."These people, without me naming names, should know who they are and how little they had contributed to the team. The failure of the team is all due to poor management because there are many who know nothing about football who continue to sit there calling the shots."Year in year out, I believe these are the people who made the decision on the players and the hiring of coaches.
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They will take the credit when the team are doing well and they are also very quick to sack the coach whom they had hired in the first place when the team are doing poorly."Take this season for example; the engagement of a foreign coach in his early thirties who doesn't seem to have any notable coaching experience to take charge of Sabah seems illogical.
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"I am sure all the fans like me would like to know the person who actually recommended him and why we have to take someone who was named only a performance coach for Home United FC in S-League last season and also the head coach for their kids academy to take charge of our State senior team."Sabah team is the pride of the State and fans would not like to see the team fall into the wrong hands and so far things are not looking good with us going into the wrong direction in the league table."The FA officials cannot keep saying they are still developing the team every year because people are getting fed up with the same excuses. At the end of the day they have to remember that they are there in the association to make a successful senior team to please the fans."The person(s) who introduced the French coaches to the management must stand up and be counted. If the team still cannot get the right results in the next few games and the FA decided to get rid of the coach as they often did in the past then the whole selection committee must follow suit and make a quick exit."My advice for them is please leave immediately to save the association from further embarrassment. It is like a racing car with an old engine. The only way to make it competitive on the track again is to do a complete overhaul or change the parts that are not working."He said he decided to speak out because of his love for the State and not because he is still angry with the FA after the paltry sum tag they put on him back then."I hold no grudges against the FA. In fact the departure led me to have a wonderful career in Sarawak. What I really want to see is for the people of Sabah to be proud of their team again. I want the team to do well and play in the Super League. I was in the team that won the FA Cup in 1995 and the league title in 1996 and I don't see why we cannot do it again if the association is run professionally by the right people.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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