KUALA LUMPUR – Kedah head coach, Aidil Sharin Sahak, has been linked with a move to replace Perak’s Mehmet Durakovic for a while.
But when asked about his future, Aidil’s answer was simple: he’s only focused on the task at hand, which is the Red Eagles’ final Super League fixture against Perak at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh on Saturday (Oct 10).
That is understandable as Kedah and Perak are vying for the sole qualifying spot in the 2021 AFC Cup. Kedah is in the second spot in the 12-team standings with 19 points, just one ahead of third-placed Perak.
The 43-year-old Singaporean played down reports of his rumoured move to Perak by saying that he was happy with the Kedah team’s management despite facing unpaid salary issues earlier in the season.
“(Kedah) management is doing its best... change is happening slowly. I’m confident it will do better in the future. If everything goes right, why not (stay with Kedah).”
“Kedah is always in my heart, I love the staff, coaching team and players, they have been awesome. So we will see,” he said at the post-match press conference after their slim 1-0 win over Melaka United at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium last night (Oct 5).
Muhammad Shakir Hamzah was the Kedah hero when he netted the winner in the 19th minute, but Aidil was keen to praise the whole team, including 21-year-old goalkeeper Muhammad Azri Ab Ghani, who managed to keep a clean sheet after being handed the role due to injuries to Ifwat Akmal Chek Kassim and Mohd Shahril Saa’ri.
Meanwhile, Melaka United coach Zainal Abidin Hassan blamed his men’s inability to convert their chances as the reason for the defeat and hoped that they would be sharper in front of goal when they complete their fixture against champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) on Saturday.
“We took a long time to settle down and conceded a goal through a set-piece. But I must give credit to my men for raising their performance from the 25th minute onwards. We had chances but we did not take them,” he said. – Bernama, October 6, 2020
