New and separate entity to take over running of Sarawak football team

KUCHING: Dawn of a new era for Sarawak football is now showing following the announcement of a new and separate entity to take over from Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) the running of the State professional football team.

Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Dato Sri William Mawan yesterday disclosed that the new entity to be funded by the private sector would manage the Sarawak team in a full-pledged professional manner.

According to Mawan, a new name ending with FC (football club) is currently being mulled for this team which will no longer be directly managed by FAS.

The new team is expected to be jointly managed by his ministry and the private sector with a more organised and professional approach.

It will also receive technical and tactical assistance from English League One club Hartlepool following a tie up reached last month.

Only five senior players from the present Super League squad will be retained for this new team while the rest were expected to be new faces.

To help facilitate its realisation, a steering committee has been formed comprising Mawan, officials from the ministry, FAS and Hartlepool.

“A concept paper on this is now ready, and it will be submitted to the State cabinet … this could be realised by the end of the year, and the new team may make its debut next season,” he told reporters at the State Legislative Assembly building here.

The announcement by Mawan came in the wake of match-fixing allegations involving a former international and six present squad players as well as the resignation of FAS president Khaider Zaidell.

Asked further by reporters, Mawan insisted that he was not after the FAS president’s post.

Instead, he will be spearheading the new entity.

“FAS can now focus on sorting out its own internal problems and at the same time assist in the football development programme such as finding new talents,” he said, adding that FAS would take on the new role of mainly implementing the long-term football development programme with his ministry and the Education Department.

To another question, he said plans to run the football team on a separate entity away from FAS had long been mulled by the ministry and the urge to do so was further intensified following the match-fixing allegations and the team’s last place finish in the Super League.

“We want to bring back the glory days of Sarawak football. We also need to win back our fans. A winning team will bring many fans to fill up our stadium, but a losing team will not have many fans supporting them,” he said.

On the role of Hartlepool, he said the club would provide guidance in terms of football management and ground or field management.

“They may not be in the top-flight of English football, but they are obviously much better than FAS. And we really need their assistance,” he said, adding that the possibility of Sarawak import players to consist Hartlepool players was also not to be dismissed.

Mawan earlier broke the news on the new entity, albeit briefly, during his ministerial winding up speech at the State Legislative Assembly.

He said there was an urgent need to revitalise Sarawak football by setting up a new organisation to manage the senior team which will represent Sarawak in any future national-level competition.

“But first, let me acknowledge the efforts made by the current management of the FAS in attempting to bring back Sarawak football on track,” he said.

He also said the ministry was cooperating with FAS and the Education Department in identifying new football talents below 16 years of age to be groomed as professional players under the five-year development programme starting next year.

“As my ministry is responsible for the development of sports in Sarawak, a comprehensive plan of action will be prepared and submitted to the State cabinet for consideration,” he added.