Harith Naem Jaineh Johnny Dominicus
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah FC III will look to the delayed President Cup challenge optimistically with the addition of Malaysian youth international Harith Naem Jaineh in the squad.
The 20-year-old Kota Belud lad joined the Junior Rhinos from Selangor and has impressed in the two months he has been here.
A pleased head coach Johnny Dominicus said Harith would be a valuable addition to the squad to face the challenges in the President Cup.
“I want to thank the Sabah FC management for securing his service.
“Not only he (Harith) is a talented footballer, he is also a very experienced player. We are very delighted to have him in the squad,” said Johnny here on Monday.
Harith’s past football stint has seen him play for the Akademi Moktar Dahari under chief coach Lim Teong Kim before joining Selangor junior set-up.
Harith is best remembered when he came off the bench to score a hattrick and inspired Selangor to a 4-2 comeback home win over Sabah in the Youth Cup tie last year.
And he has shown what he is capable of since joining the Junior Rhinos, scoring the only goal in the 1-4 defeat to the state Super League side recently while also finding the net in the 3-0 win over Sabah Youth Cup side last Saturday.
On the international stage, Harith featured for the national juniors at the AFC Championship 2018 in Kuala Lumpur and he was also part of the team that won bronze at the AFF Under-16 championship in the same year.
“I’m glad that he has decided to return and help the state squad. His presence will certainly motivate and strengthen the team.
“He is always ready to share his experience with his new teammates. We are really thankful to Sabah FC for their efforts to strengthen the squad ,” added Johnny.
For the record, 26 players have been named to carry Sabah FC III challenge in the President Cup 2021, with the kick-off delayed from June to September due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The full squad comprise three goalkeepers namely Mohd Faizal Hafiz Mansur, Mohamad Ramzi Mustakim and Muhammad Azrin Paiting.
The defenders are Gerald Gadit, Seherry Aladin, Mohd Faqrul Idris, Rozacklye Yanam, Jeremie Jamie Limus, Ritchie Svenson Fred Donny, Abdul Hanafie Tokyo Abdul Hasim and Syahrul Norsyahrizuan Miti.
Former national junior Mohd Nasip Mohammad Zain will be among the option in midfield that also include Mohd Hizaz Mohd Lokman, Muhammad Asyraf Rusydi Musa, Mohamad Sahrizan Saidin, Mohd Naaim Firdaus Stibin, Mohd Nureizkhan Isa Japar, Mohammad Saifuddin Abdullah, Hamsir Appid and Mohamad Sofian Razali.
The forwards are Mohammad Saufie Taha, Mohd Nazemizan Naslon, Mohammad Syaril Abdullah, Ali Sainuddin, Jeckelly Manir and Harith.
Meanwhile, Johnny said the squad’s preparation hadbeen going on well despite the recent postponement of the league kick-off.
He said the squad are complying strictly to the standard operating procedure (SOP).
“All is well except for the lack of warm-up matches. At the moment, we have only the senior and under-19 teams to play against due to the travelling restrictions.
“However, the players are physically in good shape. Hopefully we will be able to hold more friendly matches when the situation has improved so that we can better prepare for the new campaign,” he concluded.