Kelantan fans do no favours for team

WAR zone-like conditions created by Kelantan fans had the reverse effect on their team as they succumbed meekly to Negri Sembilan 3-1 in the Malaysia Cup final on Saturday.

Far from being the inspiration force which had helped sweep Kelantan into their first Malaysia Cup final in 39 years, the supporters did their team no favours with their rancorous behaviour despite filling out two-thirds of the stadium.

The player most affected was leftback Zamri Ramli, the youngest player in the team, whose two costly errors led to two of Negri's three goals. But coach B. Sathianathan, who indicated he may stay on for his first full season in domestic football, refused to blame the crowd for Kelantan's uninspired display.

"I don't see why there should be pressure on the team because they are used to playing in front of this kind of crowd in Kota Baru.

"It has more to do with the inexperience of playing in a final which led to giving away silly goals. After the second goal went in so early (in the second half), heads dropped and they looked short on confidence," said Sathianathan, who steered Kelantan to the final despite taking over the team from Peter Butler just days before the tournament started.

Except for Indra Putra Mahayuddin, who ended the Malaysia Cup as top scorer with 11 goals, Khalid Jamlus and Ahmad Azlan Zainal, none of the Kelantan squad had experience playing in a Malaysia Cup final.


Sathianathan praised his players instead for the way they coped with adversity following their troubled start to the campaign.

"Nobody gave us a chance to even make the final and when I took over the team the target was to get to the quarter-finals. The fitness level of the players shocked me when I came in and I realised what a big task it would be.

"They were down in spirit after their coach abandoned them just days before an important tournament and to have made the final was a fantastic achievement for them," he said.

Sathianathan spoke about strengthening the team with two or three additional signings but when asked if he will be staying on, he said: "If they still want me."

"It's pleasure to work in Kelantan, it is a really nice place. We have a 14-day break but we don't know when the season starts again. We need to be informed if we are to prepare properly," added the coach.

"Next season, we will be back stronger and I'm confident the team will sign two or three more players with experience." -- DEVINDER SINGH