* Pahang FA supremo to have high level meeting tonight on the team
* Pahang set to keep their foreign players
So far only Selangor-born skipper Razman Roslan has openly said that he “may migrate” and probably return to his home-state for the new football season but all that could change after Pahang retained the prestigious and much sought after Malaysia Cup and end the year with a bang.
Pahang, the defending champions, defeated Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim 5-3 in a penalty shootout after extra time failed to break a 2-2 deadlock in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday to give the Elephants a grand double, having earlier won the FA Cup.
It was also a double success for coach Zainal Abidin Hassan after guiding the team to the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Felda United in the final.
In fact it is Pahang’s third silverware in the cabinet after winning the Charity Shield in the season’s curtain raiser under Australian coach Ronald Smith who quit the team after three months.
Razman has openly said that he may migrate next season but rumours are also in the air that Pahang may see an exodus of players at the end of this season.
“So far only Razman has openly said about leaving Pahang while the rest are all rumours and hearsay. At this stage I am aware that Razman has a change of heart after we retained the (Malaysia) Cup under his captaincy. He was also captained the team to the FA Cup title,” said Zainal, who was appointed the chief coach after Smith left.
The Pahang team returned to Kuantan this afternoon and Pahang FA president Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah, the Tengku Muda of Pahang, is scheduled to meet the players and team officials later tonight.
“Tengku Muda, however, will not stop players from leaving in search of greener pastures. He has taken good care of the players and their welfare and he will decide on the team for next season. There maybe some changes but at this stage nothing has been decided and nothing has been confirmed about the rumours,” added Zainal.
On the foreigners, Zainal said he has no complaints on the four foreign players – defenders Damion Stewart (Jamaica), Zesh Rehman (Pakistan) and strikers Dickson Nwakaeme (Nigeria) and Mathias Conti (Argentina).
“I can’t comment on them if they will be retained because it is decided by the top management committee lead by Tengku Muda,” said Zainal, who is also one of the nominees as the Best Coach for the 100PLUS-Astro Arena-FAM National Football Awards which will be held on Nov 13.
