JDT’s coach Hector Bidoglio
KUALA LUMPUR: Holders Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) seem to have started the psychological war 24 hours ahead of today’s FA Cup final against Selangor at the National Stadium.
Their head coach Hector Bidoglio and captain Jordi Amat were not present for the pre-match press conference at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
Instead, JDT sent in their assistant coach Jose Lopez and their reserve centreback Junior Eldstal and the duo hardly had anything to say to the media.
“I don’t know, no comments,” was all that the stern-looking Lopez has had to say to leave the media with disappointment.
It is a rare occasion that the head coach and captain of a team were not present for the pre-match press conference of a domestic premier football final.
Eldstal, who started once for JDT in the first leg of the FA Cup quarter-finals against Malaysian Universities, was equally cold in answering several questions.
“Good,” was the only word muttered by Eldstall when asked about the team’s preparations ahead of the FA Cup final against Selangor.
As media tried in vain to get some response from Eldstal about the final, “no comments” was his only reply.
In start contrast, Selangor coach Nidzam Jamil and his captain Safuwan Baharuddin appeared jovial as they addressed the media to share their thoughts on the FA Cup final which the Red Giants have won five times.
Their positive aura only leads to a keen contest although JDT have easily outplayed their oppositions prior to the final.
JDT, aiming to complete their hattrick today, started their FA Cup campaign with a 4-0 win over Kelantan before hammering Malaysian Universities with a 13-0 aggregate (5-0 in the first leg and 8-0 in the second leg) in the quarter-finals.
Kedah gave some resistance in the semi-finals but the Southern Tigers managed to secure a 2-1 win in the first leg and a 3-0 victory in the second leg.
Selangor’s refusal to play the season-opening Charity Shield match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on May 10 citing security concerns, may still be playing in JDT’s mind.
This would also mean that JDT will be in an uncompromising mood to down Selangor in their first meeting of the season.
Despite JDT’s silence ahead of the final, the all-conquering side are likely to roar at the stadium today to continue their unbeaten run in domestic football since the 2022 season.
