KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Jelius Ating has called on Sabah football fans throughout the country to be united ahead of their season opener against JDT II at the Likas Stadium tomorrow (Saturday). He said the fans must not continue to harp on the mascot issue which was changed from a rhino to a tambadau (wild buffalo) by the new management and instead continue to support the team in the coming season.
“My hope for the fans this year is ‘let’s be united’ and don’t just simply look at the mascot and logo of the team. “Mascot and logo may change but Sabah as a team will not change and if the fans want to see the team to be successful, they must stay united. “Success of the team is also success for the supporters.
So I call on all fans here in Sabah and the Peninsula to continue their support for the team in one heart and come to our matches in full force,” he said after the meet the fans session at Sportsmart Ararat in Suria Sabah on Thursday. Team manager Henry Saimpon who earlier thanked Ben Wong of Ararat Sports and Souvenir for sponsoring the players’ jerseys this season also echoed the same sentiment as Jelius, and called on the fans to give their full support to the team.
Meanwhile, import player Rodoujub Paunovic from Serbia who still has a contract with Sabah this season said he is looking forward to play with fellow countryman Luka Milunovic who had just signed a one-year contract with the team. “Luka is a quality player. He played for bigger clubs than me in Serbia and he used to play for Red Star Belgrade against all the top teams in Europe so I am really looking forward to play alongside him this season.
“I think we can combine well as we speak the same language and we understand each other. Hopefully we can create more chances for each of us to score. “I am also looking for a better outing this season as the team have been built for the past three years. I will definitely give my best and hopefully we can achieve better results than last year,” he added. Skipper Rawilson Batuil also believed the team are ready and he hopes for a winning start tomorrow to give the players the much needed confidence in the coming matches. -GL Oh
