`Away game’ upsets Sathianathan
0 Comments | New Straits Times, Jul 27, 2010 | by Zainuddin Muhammad
IT does not seem fair to allow Terengganu to play their “away” game against Perlis at Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu today.
Kelantan coach B. Sathianathan said a neutral venue should have been picked instead of providing Terengganu with home advantage.
“The stadium in Kangar may not have been available for the match but there must be some stadium in some other states or the match could be played at a later date,” said Sathianathan.
“The decision to play the match a day earlier is also not proper as we could be under unnecessary pressure should Terengganu, who are five points behind us, manage to win and reduce the deficit to two, before our home match against KL Plus a day later.”
Sathianathan said he was expressing his personal opinion as he does not know if the Kelantan FA had raised the issue with the FA of Malaysia.
According to the Kelantan coach, Terengganu not only avoid the hassle of travelling to Perlis but by playing their match a day earlier, will also have an extra rest day prior to making their trip to Shah Alam to play Selangor on Saturday.
“All I am saying is that the outcome of the match could affect other teams especially now that we are only three matches away from the end of the league.
“Perlis and Terengganu may not care if they win or lose but we do and other teams who are trying to improve their league position or hang on to it may feel the same too,” he said.
T-Team coach Che Ku Marzuki Che Ku Mohd Nor said he was shocked to hear about the change of venue from Kangar to Kuala Terengganu.
“I thought it was unfair to allow a team to have home advantage twice regardless of circumstances leading to the decision.
“T-team may not be directly affected by the result of the match but some other teams may feel as if they are being cheated,” he said.