Bung Moktar (left) and Kim Swee during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah FA (Safa) president Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin described the appointment of Datuk Ong Kim Swee as the Rhinos head coach speaks volume for Sabah FC in its efforts to lift Sabah football to new heights.
Bung Moktar, in a statement to the press on Sunday, said Safa as the football governing body in the state welcomed well the positive effort taken by the club.
“We are confident Kim Swee will be able to build a formidable Sabah squad that can match the other teams in the country,” said Bung Moktar, who met with the former national under-23 coach in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) broke the news in a recent statement that Kim Swee has stepped down from his post as FAM Technical Director and return to coaching with Sabah FC effectively starting October 1.
Sabah FC also confirmed via a statement that Kim Swee, who played for Sabah in the mid-90s and helped the Rhinos clinch the FA Cup in 1995 and the old Premier League title the following year, will replace Indonesian trainer Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto as head coach.
Prior to that, Sabah FC team manager Marzuki Nasir informed that Kurniawan has been ‘rested’ until further notice following the Rhinos’ poor form in the Super League.
The announcement also came with the appointment of Jelius Ating as the club’s new assistant team manager while assistant head coach Burhan Ajui as the caretaker coach of the squad for the remaining league fixtures.
The Rhinos, who are on a nine-game winless run, took on Perak FC as they concluded their league campaign in Ipoh on Sunday night.
For the record, ninth-ranked Sabah FC are already assured of a top 10 finish to secure their place in the Super League next season. Apart from that, the Rhinos have also qualified for the Malaysia Cup.
Meanwhile, Bung Moktar said Safa as the state football governing body was responsible to monitor the performance of Sabah FC so that the club will not stray from its aim to improve the quality of the sport in the State.
“The supporters hope that Sabah FC will always show good achievement and likewise Safa too wish the club to continue to grow and strive for excellence,” said Bung Moktar.
Towards this end, the Safa president expressed confidence that Sabah FC would be able to restore the glory days of Sabah football.