Jelius Ating
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah FC team manager Jelius Ating hopes the state football squad will be able to return to full training soon and start preparation for the 2021 Malaysian League campaign.
Jelius said with the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) still in place, all that they could do for now was to make plans in regard to the team formation for next season
“We have a list of players that we have already identified for the state senior team but at the moment, we can only make plans and have to wait implementing them.
“We hope we would be allowed to get to the field as soon as possible and implement the plans that we have made for the team,” he said yesterday.
Elaborating further on the players identified, Jelius said the long list comprise footballers from the 2020 squad squad as well as several players from the President Cup (under-21) and Youth Cup (under-19) teams.
“Apart from the seniors and those from the under-21 side, we have also decided to give opportunity to the Youth Cuppers who have been called up by the national (junior) team.
“Having said that, there will be no easy path to landing a place in the senior team as stressed by the (Sabah FC) CEO (Datuk Verdon Bahanda).
“All the players must fight for their place in the team.
“Hopefully the situation will get better and the CMCO to end so that we can move forward and implement all the plans that we have for the state squad,” he added.
For the record, the on-going CMCO enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19 is scheduled until December 6.
Meanwhile, Sabah FC recently announced that Sarawakian Lucas Kalang Laeng has been appointed as head coach of the state senior football team for 2021 season.
Lucas took over from former Indonesian top striker, coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, whose contract ended on November 30.
Sabah finished 10th in the Covid-19 disrupted Super League 2020 and thus retained their place in the country’s top tier football competition.
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