KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 4 (Bernama) — Some 1,000 hardcore Terengganu football fans staged a demonstration for about 30 minutes from 5pm at the compound of the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah stadium here today.
Their spokesman Khairul Amri Salah Fikri At-Taranjani, 23, said among others their demands were a total revamp of the management of the FA of Terengganu, the removal of its president Datuk Che Mat Jusoh and a probe into alleged mismanagement in the running of the association.
They also wanted Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said to intervene in the matter.
Meanwhile, Che Mat said he was prepared to clarify the resignation of Terengganu chief coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim to any quarters but they should appoint a representative to meet the association.
“We did not dump Irfan Bakti as alleged. On the contrary, he decided to step down on his own accord. We have to accept the decision and cannot force him to stay on.
“If the management was wrong, we would not have accomplished successes, including lifting the FA Cup while the salary and bonus were paid on time,” said Che Mat when contacted.
On a claim that the TFA did not pay out the RM10,000 reward to the players after winning the FA Cup in June, he said the cheques had been issued directly to the players by the state government.
“On its part, TFA also rewarded the players but not all of them get the full amount. If those sitting on the bench get the same amount, this will be unfair to players who played throughout the game,” he said.
Che Mat said the protest was not a proper way to voice dissatisfaction as it would tarnish the image of the state football.
