Foul!

I bet those will be the words of Mat Zan Mat Aris ( pic ), Robert Scully and Nidzam Adha Yusoff. All three coaches were sacked prematurely for reasons best known by the respective FAs (Terengganu -Mat Zan; Penang - Robert; Perlis - Nidzam) last season. The matter was brought to the attention of the FA of Malaysia (FAM). The Player Status Committee decided that all three FAs will have to pay RM120,000 in compensation to the coaches. Committee chairman Takiyuddin Hassan said the FAs would have to pay the compensation within one month of receiving a letter or their annual grants will be deducted. This is the second blow for Terengganu after FAM had earlier decided that Peter Butler's termination by the Terengganu FA was "null and void" . Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to the state FAs not to take their employees for granted. Meanwhile, Ahmad Fakri Saarani joins the likes of Nazmi Faiz Mansor in plying his trade in Portugal. During a Press Conference a...

Terengganu FA! Sadly, there wasn't any category for 'most dramatic football association of the season' in the line up of the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards. Why dramatic? Apparently the fans are now demanding for the resignation of Terengganu FA president Che Mat Jusoh. It's called ABC - Asal Bukan Che Mat. Is it a call of just one fan, 10 fans or majority of the fans?  It remains unclear. But what is certain is that the call for Che Mat to step down came after Terengganu coach Peter Butler was suspended and fined for highlighting indiscipline among his players to the Media prior the approval of the FA. The Englishman appealed against the decision yesterday. Butler was quoted by Bernama as saying; "It is important for me to regain credibility as a coach after my actions to discipline some players but I was instead severely punished by the suspension and termination of contract.      "I don’t think this is a good signal for Terengganu football and...

They were both penalised for speaking to the Press. Terengganu coach Peter Butler ( pic ) has been handed a six months suspension and RM4,000 fine for "issuing a statement to the media without the approval of the team management", as reported here . Earlier this year, Kelantan boss Annuar Musa was slapped with a similar gag by the FA of Malaysia. My article on Annuar Musa's suspension was highlighted by Yahoo! Malaysia . Butler claims he has not received anything in black and white from the Terengganu FA pertaining the decision. Even Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said told Bernama he has not received any report about the matter and will "resolve this matter his own way". Apparently, it is widely known that Ahmad has been rather "supportive" towards Butler's cause. However, Butler is not exactly a popular figure - on and off the training grounds - and he knows this for a fact. He left Kelantan in a huff and it looks like his second shot o...

When a party invests heavily into a team, it is only right for them to expect results. Thus it comes to no surprise that the Terengganu government is not going to allow it's yearly RM3 million go down the drain. Menteri Besar Ahmad Said warned that many of the players in the football squad could be axed for the new season. “I expect many of the current players to be dropped … players who are not disciplined will be given the boot. “I will highly recommend the direct recruitment of players, without the assistance of middlemen or agents. “We must scout for players ourselves instead of relying on recommendations by agents.  “I have seen many things … including players deliberately wanting to be red-carded so that they can rest. The Terengganu FA should impose a penalty system so that such players are properly punished.” Read more here . Some claim politicians should not meddle with the state's football affairs. Then again, these are the same people who co...

"Saya tidak akan beri komen atas kapasiti peribadi. Saya hanya akan komen untuk persatuan dan setakat ini saya tidak ingin beri apa-apa komen. Pihak persatuan masih meneliti perkara ini, kami belum lagi putuskan tarikh mesyuarat....lagipun kami ingin tumpu perlawanan malam esok (menentang ATM)." Itu merupakan kata-kata Presiden Persatuan Bola Sepak Terengganu yang juga pengurus pasukan, Che Mat Jusoh. Kata-kata pemain yang terlibat pula di khabarkan dalam Berita Harian semalam. Ini pula kata-kata jurulatih Terengganu Peter James Butler, melalui emel-nya kepada saya; As for the Incident recently in Kedah it was brought to my attention by a member of the hotel thats players had re entered the hotel at 2.30/3am morning of the Malaysia Cup game, i was oblivious to all this as i was on a different floor however, on further investigation i was told this was correct and there were girls on the floor from outside the hotel. A member of my playing staff came to see me afte...