ISKANDAR PUTERI: Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC head coach, Bojan Hodak refuted the allegation that salary arrears are affecting the focus of his players in view of the FA Cup finals against defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim tomorrow.
Admitting that there was a slight delay in salary payments, the coach however believed his players are professional enough not to compromise the chance of winning their first title this season.
“The salary may belate a little bit but the players are professionals, this is the final and definitely this issue cannot affect the performance,” he told the pre-match press conference here today.
Nevertheless, Hodak expressed hope that the referee tasked with the final match tomorrow night would be able to control the game.
The 52-year-old Croatian coach said the pressure was not on The City Boys, but rather on the JDT to prove themselves as the unbeatable favourites with an excellent record this season, besides having recorded 17 consecutive wins in the Super League campaign.
“Everybody expects them (JDT) to win, so there is no pressure on us. We come to the final, we will try to give our best and play a good game and hopefully get positive results…and as I mentioned before, I just hope there will be a good and stronger referee who can control this game,” he said.
The City Boys had once surprised the Southern Tigers when they beat them 2-0 in the 2021 Malaysia Cup final, but a great challenge awaits KL City if they hope to topple JDT after they lost 0-3 and 1-6 in two Super League matches this season.
The clash between KL City and JDT tomorrow will take place at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here, which is the home ground of the Southern Tigers.
Meanwhile, JDT head coach Esteban Solari said preparations are going smoothly without any issues as all their players are injury-free.
Describing it as a tough and important game to retain the title, the former Argentina player reminded his team to be physically and mentally prepared.
“In this game, we have to play with the same passion and remain calm, but mental and physical preparations are very important,” he said.
Even though playing before their home crowd will give them an advantage, Solari admitted that JDT should not take KL City FC lightly.
For the record, the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium can hold 40,000 spectators, and tickets for tomorrow night’s final have been sold out. – BERNAMA
