KUALA NERUS – After keeping his cool for a long time, Terengganu FC (TFC) coach, Nafuzi Zain, finally expressed his displeasure with the treatment he received from the management of the Terengganu Football Club Sdn Bhd (TFCSB).
His frustration was related to the offer of a contract extension as coach of the Turtles squad next season, which was described as unprofessional and disrespectful of his position as head coach.
Nafuzi said, as a professional club, TFCSB should not use the services of a middleman to deliver an offer letter (to him) without him being called for a discussion.
“I am really upset to be treated as such. I received the contract extension letter dated October 27 on October 29 and it was handed to me by the kitman on the field during training,” he said after the Malaysia Cup second quarter-final match against KL City FC, at Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin last night.
TFC lived up to the expectation as the team advanced to the semi-finals of the Malaysia Cup after defeating KL City 3-1 on aggregate.
According to Nafuzi, he had to express his thoughts as he felt unappreciated for his sacrifices, and as an employer, TFCSB has the right to make any decision related to the contract, but it needs to be done professionally.
“There should be a discussion for the team’s direction and preparations for next season, the coach’s and the management’s plans need to be aligned because that is the best.
“However, that didn’t happen; I was given an offer and had to agree to the key performance indicators (KPI) set, similar to what happened last year,” he said.
The Kelantan-born Nafuzi said that the 14-day period for him to submit a reply regarding the contract extension offer will end tomorrow. He said he will visit the TFCSB office to hand in the answer letter, thus putting an end to all the question marks and rumours about his direction in the Malaysian League next season.
“Whatever my decision is tomorrow, it has nothing to do with money or salary factors. All I hope for is a little appreciation after leading TFC to the final stage of the FA Cup and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup next year,” he said. – Bernama, November 13, 2022
