Rhinos mascot makes return next season
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah FC is considering several names for the club's next head coach, said club CEO Datuk Verdon Bahanda.
Verdon said several names has been mention but they need to look into the matter thoroughly before making any decision.
Although last season's head coach, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto name was not mention, but it is believed the coach from Indonesia is one of the candidates being considered.
According to Verdon, Sabah FC have to acquire foreign coaches because Sabah do not have any coaches with Pro A licence that is required by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to handle the Super League teams starting early this season.
Verdon hinted that the next head coach should be local or someone who can communicate well with the players.
He added that he would like to give opportunity to our locals to hold either the management posts or as players themselves.
“Only if it is required, to acquire foreign service either as coaches or players, we prefer to give our locals the chances,” he said, adding that players whose contract will end this season are being look into for extension.
“We are in talks with the management to extend contracts of some of the players while looking for other new talents.
“Our priority is for existing players from the President's Cup squad as well as from the Youth Cup but they have to compete for their place if they want to be in this new squad,” he said.
On import players for the this season, Verdon said it is still under consideration.
“We have enough time to find quality players and those that fits into our budget.
“I have not decided on the budget because we need to discuss with the state government.
“We still rely entirely on the state government or GLC (Government-linked companies) to contribute to our financial position,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the new Sabah FC mascot, Verdon said they will continue to use the ‘Rhinos' mascot for the new season of the Malaysia League next year.
He said the decision was made based on request from their fans.
Sabah was known as the Rhinos (Badak) before it was changed to Tambadau for the last two seasons.
“I know many fans are talking about our mascot, and 90 percent of the fans wants us to return to the Rhinos mascot.
“So today, I am happy to announce that we will return back to our original Rhinos mascot,” he said at a press conference at the Sabah Football Association (SAFA) Office in Likas, here yesterday.
Verdon also said Sabah will wear the original red color jersey as their main jersey but will only reveal the new design once they introduce their full squad.