New Sabah Times
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s plan to go for a friendly tour to Peninsular Malaysia has been abandoned.
Sabah FA Secretary General Alijus Hj Sipil said they were left with no choice but to scrap the plan as they could not get seats for the trip.
“As much as we want to go, but due to the school holidays as well as the upcoming festive season, it is almost impossible to book tickets for the whole team,” Alijus said via Short Messages Service yesterday.
He added that instead now they will play friendly matches against neighbouring Sarawak.
“We will be playing against Sarawak on a home and away basis. We will play against them twice in Kuching on Dec 20 and 22 and the replay at the Likas Stadium on December 27, while the date for the second game in Likas is yet to be finalised.
At the same time, Alijus said that they will also try to go for a State-wide tour, depending on suitable time.
So far, Alijus said the Justin Ganai boys played against Ranau Selection, where they won 8-0.
“We are also thinking of going to Keningau, Kota Belud and Papar. But this will depend on whether the team has enough time to accommodate the schedule for the tour,” said Alijus.
He also revealed that their President’s Cup squad would begin their preparations within this week.
“We hope that the seniors can play some warm-up matches against the President’s Cup squad, and this will be a win-win situation for both teams.
Alijus, who is currently attending a meeting at the FA of Malaysia, said that the new season will kick off with the charity match on January 8 while the first Super League match for Sabah will be on January 11.
The draw for the Super League will be done on December 13.
