Farah Azharie
KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor may be the richest state in Malaysia but that is not the case when it comes to its FA who are taking a thrifty approach in their bid to bring the Red Giants back to glory.
FAS’s prudent steps are apparent after head coach B. Sathiananthan disclosed that Selangor could have signed Super League’s current top scorer, Dickson Nwakaeme, if they had the money to splurge.
“We can’t make decisions whereby we will owe (others) money and Selangor is not a team that can spend,” said Sathianathan.
“Nwakaeme’s agent (who brought him to Malaysia) approached me first and asked if I was interested in getting a striker who can score and bring positive results,
“I would like to get him (Nwakaeme) but we cannot afford him.
“Otherwise he would be playing for Selangor. But I have to be realistic.
“If I don’t care about the budget, Nwakaeme would be on our (Selangor) team,” said Satia about Nwakaeme who is reported to have asked for RM400,000 a month from Terengganu after the Turtles showed interest in the import.
The present situation of 33-time Malaysia Cup champions Selangor is a far cry from their glory days in the 1980s when virtually all the top players in the land dreamed of playing for the Red Giants.
The 32-year-old Nwakaeme made headlines this season when he rejoined Pahang after two seasons with French club Angers SCO and Angers SCO II.
Dubbed as the “Iron Man”, the Nigerian has scored three goals for Pahang in just two Super League matches, living up to the expectations of Pahang fans who were so excited at the news of his return to Kuantan.
However, amid the talk of Selangor having the first pick at Nwakaeme, the bustling six-footer denied having knowledge of talks between his agent and Satiananthan through his Twitter account.
But Sathiananthan’s admission of Selangor’s “tight budget” is in line with the policy of FAS president, Tengku Amir Shah Ibni Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
In November, the Selangor Crown Prince was reported as saying he entered the job (as FAS president) with the FAS high in debts but he has vowed to turn things around.
It is understood that the state-funded team’s previous management has amassed RM7 million in debt on top of the RM7 million that was utilised for last season.
The FAS have taken positive steps towards generating their own income through their marketing and merchandising department.
This is the first time the FAS has embarked on such a financial project in the Red Giants’ 82-year existence.
With an undisclosed budget for foreign players (expect it to be modest), Sathiananthan could only afford the imports that he now has in England’s Antonio German, Australia’s Taylor Regan, Brazil’s Endrick dos Santos Parafita, Vietnam’s Michal Nguyen and last season’s top scorer Rugino Segovia.
However, these imports have yet to prove their worth after Selangor managed only two 1-1 draws against Felda United and PJ City.
This even led to Selangor legend Santokh Singh, who was at the Shah Alam Stadium, saying he was not impressed with the Red Giants’ foreign signings.
“I spoke a lot to him (German). I think there was a response from him in training but it’s not just German but the whole team because they all know Selangor’s expectations, and what’s important is they work hard and vow to do better than the last matches,” he said.
The Red Giants’ next assignment is against the Red Ants, and Selangor have a 50-50 chance of being bitten.
For the Red Ants or PKNS, are coached by wily former Selangor coach K. Rajagobal, and he knows the Red Giants inside out.