FELDA United midfielder Syahid Zaidon is in no doubt where his loyalties lie as he prepares to face the state of his birth Pahang in tomorrow’s FA Cup final at the Shah Alam Stadium.
Syahid, 24, hails from the oldest Felda settlement in the country in Lurah Bilut, near Bentong, where his grandfather and father are both settlers.
However, the former Young Tigers A player insists he is not conflicted should he be picked to face Pahang in what would be the biggest match of his young career.
“It will be a special game for me if the coach (Irfan Bakti Abu Salim) picks me to play against Pahang,” said Syahid at Felda’s training session in Bangi yesterday.
“It is not just because I am playing against my home state but also due to the fact that I come from a Felda settlement, one of the first in the country where my grandfather first settled.
“If I get to play the whole 90 minutes, for sure I would give it my best as I want to win the trophy.”
Syahid played a major role in Premier League club Felda getting to their first major final after a commanding performance alongside ex-national captain Shukor Adan in the second leg of the semi-final against Kelantan and with Zah Rahan Krangar in the first leg.
He has impressed Irfan so much with his consistency that Syahid is keeping more established players like former Perak captain Shahrulnizam Mustapha out of the side.
But Syahid is aware that Pahang start the final as favourites with the Super League side returning to full strength after missing three key players in their 1-0 semi-final second leg win over Darul Ta’zim.
“We know Pahang are a good team with their midfield and attack really strong and they have a lot of pace down the flanks,” said Syahid, one of five players in the side who come from Felda settlements.
“But we are all prepared to do our jobs to the best of our ability. To win the FA Cup would be a realisation of a dream and it would mean that I made the right decision to join Felda when I left Young Tigers A (last year).”
Irfan, meanwhile, would create history should Felda win the FA Cup as he would become the first coach to lift the trophy three times, all with different teams, having won it previously with Penang (2002) and Terengganu (2011).
“That would be nice but it is not about personal glory,” he said. “What it is important is that if the team play well and with discipline, then we would have a chance of winning.
“We have to respect Pahang. After all they are in the top four of the Super League.”