UiTM's Ousmane Fane in action for the club against Police in the Super League.
PETALING JAYA: French midfielder Ousmane Fane thought he had made a dream move to ply his trade in Indonesia but that deal was cancelled at the last minute.
The 30-year-old Fane, who ended his contract with Penang recently to sign a deal with Bhayangkara, is back in Malaysia after the Indonesian club decided to let him go and signed up former Belgian international Radja Nainggolan.
Nainggolan, 35, has played for top Serie A clubs like AS Roma and Inter Milan in the past. He has also featured for clubs like Royal Antwerp, Cagliari, Piacenza and SPAL.
He earned 30 caps with the Belgium national team, forming a potent combination with Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne in midfield.
Besides Nainggolan, the other foreign players in Bhayangkara are Brazilians Junior Brandao (striker) and Anderson Salles (centreback), Argentinian Marcelo Herrera (centreback) and Uruguayan Matias Mier (winger).
Fane was dejected as he had already signed a deal with the Indonesian club but they decided to let him go as they claimed that the spots for foreign players had been filled up.
Fane did not want to disclose what transpired in Indonesia but just wanted to look forward to his future and play football.
“I took the chance with Bhayangkara because football is big in Indonesia. But the move didn’t happen. I am not losing sleep,” said Fane.
“I will look for other opportunities as I’m a free agent now. I hope to play in Malaysia and will see if there are any offers from good sides that pay on time.
“I will head home to Paris soon but I’m staying positive right now.”
Fane is a combative midfielder known for his work rate and tackling in the middle of the park. In Malaysia, he played for sides like UiTM and Penang, earning a reputation as a hard-tackling midfielder.
He also used to play for English clubs like Shrewsbury Town, Oldham Athletic and Morecambe in the past.
