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| AT THE CONGRESS … Musa (left) pledges to bring Sabah football to a new era next season. |
Musa, who is also the Sabah FA Supremo, also admitted that he was not satisfied with what they have achieved thus far, pointing out there have been a lot of hiccups, shortcomings and weaknesses. “What we have aimed for all this while remained an elusive dream, but we should not give up … instead take it as a challenge,” said Musa when he graced the FA’s annual congress at the Le Meridien Hotel here yesterday.
Musa said Sabahans have been proven a capable lot, citing that Sabah is one of the best well-administered states in the whole country, and this is recognised by the auditor general. “This is all because we are good administrators in management and discipline,” he said. In football, Musa said that there is no difference, and that they need good administrators, management and discipline.
He also said changes need to be made in order for Sabah football to regain its glory days. “All of this can be rectified. We have financial problems and are burdened with heavy debts, but I promise to solve all these problems and make year 2014 a new era for Sabah football,” he said, adding that he will find ways to overcome all their weaknesses.
“If small states like Perlis, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan or Kelantan can do it and achieve success, it is not impossible for Sabah to do well. Musa also called on his fellow committees to seriously work together and find the best ways to bring about Sabah football to a new level, including making the FA a financially sound association.
“From now on, I want no nonsense and no fooling around, and I want money given to be spent prudently. Touching a bit on Sabah’s talents, Musa said: “We are not lack of talent, but maybe our method is outdated, so we need to look for a new approach in unearthing these talents.” “We have proven that we can produce great players like Hassan Sani, James Wong or Matlan Marjan, and I think we still can do the same.
Musa said football has become an expensive sport, and he revealed that they required about RM7 million a year to pay the salaries of players, officials and for administration purposes, while the game itself has become a lucrative career for players as some earn even more than the salary of ministers or CEOs of big corporations.
For that reason, Musa wants all the State players to be responsible and proud to don Sabah colours. “We want them to stay fit and play wholeheartedly. When you play for Sabah, you must play with high discipline and play hard because we don’t want to see any players waste our money and time. “When you deliver we pay you, but if you are not interested (play for Sabah) you can walk out from the team because we don’t need that kind of players in the team.
“What we want is players who are honest, disciplined and ready to give their all for the Sabah team,” said Musa. “We want to ensure money spent for the sport is worth spending,” he said.
