KOTA KINABALU: At least seven Rhinos from the present squad are likely to get the axe for the new season which is expected to kick off in early November.
Among those that are expected to be on the Sabah FA’s chopping list are two local imports goalkeeper G. Jeevanatham and left-back S. Sunder.
Locals Clarrey Tabad, David Johnney and Ebby Roy Raimon are also in the same boat as the duo.
The fates of local defender Henry Parsi and utility man signed from Johor FC Rezuan Muhamad Radzy are also still uncertain.
It will be the same case for veteran Henry Soimpon, while another veteran Burhan Ajui is likely to be offered a coaching job.
As for the case of striker Salvester Sindeh, he left the team on a mutual agreement with the FA due to work commitment.
The rest of the players are likely to be retained, including the Rhinos’ latest revelation in goalkeeper Irwan Jamil.
The other youngsters such as Harold John, Azrul Ejati Damsah, Hardy Charles Parsi, Mohd Radzi Hussin and Zulamri Muhammad will also have their one-year contracts renewed.
The same goes for the seniors such as skipper Rosdin Wasli, Ronny Harun, Zainizam Marjan and Bobby Gonzalez.
As for the other local imports, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban and Munir Amran would also be offered new contracts.
Nigerian striker Charles Obi, who is the team’s top scorer with a total of 25 goals in all competitions (PL – 13, Malaysia Cup 9, FA Cup 3) is also certain to be retained.
Brazilian striker Felisberto De Oliveira Jr might not have his three-month contract renewed.
It is likely to be the same case for Bosnian defender Dragic Dalidor, who also signed a three-month contract.
But all this speculation will end when the Sabah FA team management holds a meeting today. The fate of Croatian coach Drago Mamic will also be decided at the meeting.
For the new season, Sabah will continue their bid to gain promotion to the Super League after a failed mission yet again in the just concluded season.
The Rhinos finished a disappointing sixth in the standings of 11 teams. However, they did fairly well in two Cup competitions. In the FA Cup they reached the quarter-finals before bowing out to Perlis, while in the Malaysia Cup, they did one step better by reaching the semi-finals before losing 3-2 on aggregate to Perak, who were stunned 3-0 by the eventual winners Kedah.
