Without a trophy to show this season former kingpins, Kedah axed all their five foreign players for the new season- a move that has stunned many of the Red Eagles supporters.
They expected some changes but to drop all five came as a big surprise as gone are Kosovo playmaker Liridon Kraniqi, Spanish-born former Filipino international Alvaro Linares and Brazilians Sandro Mendoca and Paulo Rangel plus Indonesian international Andik Vermansyah.
Kedah has a rich history in Malaysian football and the Red Eagles are the only team to have won a back-to-back treble in 2007 and 2008, winning the Malaysia Cup, the FA Cup, and the League Cup in one season.
And the man who has his name etched in the history annals is none other than Azraai Khor Abdullah, a former international from Kedah.
For the new season, Kedah has also appointed Singaporean Aidil Sharin Sahak as the head coach for the new season.
It was a miserable season for the Red Eagles this season who finished sixth in the 12-team Super League. Kedah won the FA Cup last year but was shown the exit in the third round by Pahang – the team they beat 3-2 in last year’s FA Cup final.
In this year’s Malaysia Cup, the northern state failed to get past the group stages. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH