Kota Kinabalu: Brazilian attacking player João Pedro Boiera Duarte is Sabah FC’s latest import this season.
The 24-year-old has signed a nine-month contract from August 15 to April 30, 2025 with the Sabah FC management and he will be filling in the spot left vacant following the departure of Ramon Machado recently.
Head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee hopes his presence will strengthen the team’s attacking flair this season.
“I am of course hoping to see João making an immediate impact and we have a capable replacement for Ramon to help out our attacks.
“The poor finishing by the team recently that led to unsatisfactory results hopefully will be over with his arrival.
“We will try our best to help him to adapt quickly to the team during the current break until it resumes on September 15,” he said on Tuesday.
However, he warned the fans to avoid comparing João to his predecessor as they are two different players.
He also hoped his suggestion to have a friendly match outside the State before the match against Terengganu FC would be approved by the management.
“This friendly match is important for us to regain momentum after a long break and to get match fitness for all the players involved.
“Some of these players have to rest longer including Gabriel Peres and Saddil Ramdani who are still on the injury list,” said Kim Swee.
“I will hold discussions with the medical team to ensure that these players can return to action as soon as possible, and we still have four more weeks to monitor their recovery process,” he said.
He also expressed his gratitude to Sabah Football Association (Safa) president Datuk Shahelmey Yahya for his agreement to find a replacement for Ramon Machado and to team manager Rafie Robert and Sabah FC II manager Datuk Abdul Kassim Razali for their roles in helping to get the player.
