KUALA LUMPUR – The sacking of Selangor coach B. Sathianathan on September 21, may have been driven by keyboard warriors with allegiances to the Red Giants.
Sathia has often borne the brunt of fans on social media who have resorted to making racist statements against him, and this may have led the state football association to make him the fall guy, a strong source in the local football fraternity, told The Vibes.
“This (sacking) was a long time coming, and I believe that it is not because of the loss (1-6) to JDT (on September 19),” the source said.
“This is the work of some racist fans hiding behind the keyboard, but what’s shocking here is that the FA succumbed to the pressure,” said the source.
The Selangor Ultras group are not believed to be the section of fans who were calling for Sathia’s head.
“Initially, the Ultras had their doubts on Sathia, but that changed as they could see the changes that he was trying to bring, in order to improve Selangor,” said the source.
Another source close to Sathia said the coach reserves his utmost respect for the Selangor Ultras, maintaining his belief that they are “the real fans” of the Red Giants.
“Their (ultras) aim is only to see the Malaysia Cup record holders back as a formidable football team they once were, and it was never an issue of who was leading the chargers.
“Sathia, together with left-back K. Prabakaran was racially abused on social media earlier and was often referred to as k****g,” said the source.
A representative from the Selangor FA declined to comment when pressed on the matter, saying the that the state FA personnel are not allowed to “give any media or press interview under their constitution now”.
Meanwhile, Sathia also refused to comment on the matter, saying that the matter is now river under the bridge and that he is now focused on his next move.
He stopped short of revealing his next destination as “no concrete decision had been made yet”.
“I will take my time because I want to be sure of the expectations of the management. I will say more when I have something in hand, but at the moment, let’s not jump the gun.
“I want to see how realistic the target of the management is, get to know their ambition for the team and then make a decision,” he said. – The Vibes, October 1, 2020.
