KUALA Lumpur City FC embarks on a new era as the club seeks to regain its preeminent position in Malaysian football.
Club privatisation offers Kuala Lumpur the chance to rebrand and rebuild under new management led by one of the city’s own, Stanley Bernard, as chief executive officer.
No different than any other corporation, the club will run on corporate governance principles while securing the interests and welfare of the team is key towards ensuring success on the pitch. A well-run business side of the club will lead to greater things on the sporting side.
Former Kuala Lumpur striker Stanley wants to put the club on a secure footing for the future through various corporatisation initiatives while building a playing side capable of being competitive against the country’s best.
After returning to the Malaysian Super League following a third-place finish in the 2020 Premier League season, Kuala Lumpur is set to chart a course through this exciting period full of possibilities.
The appointment of Bojan Hodak, who has led Johor Darul Ta’zim and Kelantan to great success in the past, as Kuala Lumpur head coach signifies the determination and ambition of the club to achieve success on the pitch.
The presence of an experienced trio in Shukor Adan, Indra Putra Mahayuddin and Safee Sali will bolster the side and provide leadership in the team alongside captain Paulo Josue and Zhafri Yahya, two of the longest-serving members of the club.
Factor in exciting new signing in Dominique Da Sylva, Romel Morales and Hadin Azman in addition to the returning city boy Irfan Zakaria, and Kuala Lumpur have the makings of a team that is poised to make heads turn.
For a start, the club aims to put an end to the uncertainty of the past when moving up and down the divisions precluded the side from building anything sustainable.
“There are like 15, 16 changes in the club from a new CEO to a new coach to new players. Although our squad is almost complete, we still need the players to gel as a team,” said Stanley.
“We want to make Kuala Lumpur a permanent member of the Super League. The best finish we’ve managed in the history of the Super League was ninth place (in 2010). We’ve also been moving up and down the divisions too often, dropping as low as the (third-tier) FAM League (in 2014).
“This is something we want to put right. We want Kuala Lumpur to be known as a Super League team. That means we need to keep our place in this league for the next five, six years. That is our main ambition as a club.”
Kuala Lumpur had two spells previously in the Super League – from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2018 to 2019 – but this time we intend to stay for good. The third time is the charm.
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