Still going strong: Kedah’s Sony Norde (right) in action during the Super League match against Pahang. — Kedah FC
PETALING JAYA: There are always positives to take away from a draw and Kedah head coach Nafuzi Zain isn’t complaining about the one point they earned against Pahang.
The Canaries put on a commendable performance to draw 2-2 against Pahang at their home turf, the Darul Aman Stadium in Alor Setar on Friday.
While the team continue their plight with salary arrears, it was a sight for sore eyes as Nafuzi praised his players for showing professionalism on the pitch despite the off-field issues.
“A valuable point for us to take away and thanks to the players who performed well. Even though before the match we felt that it was impossible to perform well given our lack of preparation and ongoing issues.
“The commitment and determination of the players were so amazing to see even though their fitness levels weren’t high.
“We only had two training sessions before the training paused and just four days before this match.
“We had to train in the rain and the condition of the players were low,” he said.
Nafuzi was put in tough situations lately as the senior players in the team decided to boycott training sessions as they had not been paid for several months, forcing the Under-23 team to take on Kuala Lumpur, where they were thrashed 5-0 at the Cheras Stadium last week.
Kedah are 10th in the Super League with three wins, three draws, and four losses and have nine points as they had three points deducted for failing to settle salary arrears for 2023.
Nafuzi added that the support from fans is just as important during the club’s tough times as it goes a long way for the players and club staff.
“To see the players come for training and play matches brings me joy because all the problems we are facing are behind closed doors.
“Things may seem easy in the eyes of fans but this situation is difficult to describe. Maybe it wasn’t our luck to get a win but a draw is good and I’m proud of the players,” he said.
Kedah, who are still in a transfer ban, will not be adding new names to the roster as the transfer deadline comes close and Nafuzi said he will work with the current line-up he has.
“We can’t register new players because of the issues we have. But I will use the players we have to make changes,” he said.
Kedah will play their next match against Sabah next Saturday at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu.
