KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC patron Fahmi Fadzil expressed full commitment to resolve the club’s salary arrears problem as soon as possible to ensure the team is ready to face the 2024/2025 Super League competition.
Fahmi, who is also communications minister, said he had asked Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh to contact the Malaysian Football League (MFL) to express his full commitment to resolve the issue in accordance with the process set by MFL.
“I was appointed as patron last June and recently, maybe two or three weeks ago, some parties from the Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) and KL City met with me to ask to discuss some things.
“So, two days ago, I, the chief executive officer of KL City Stanley Bernard, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territory) Dr Zaliha Mustafa and Kamarulzaman reached an agreement to speed up some things to help make payments.
“God willing, in a short time according to a certain process, we will settle whatever is owed, especially to the players,” he told reporters after meeting Bernard and some of the club’s players at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, here, yesterday.
Meanwhile, Fahmi expressed his appreciation to KLFA president Khalid Samad, who resigned yesterday, for his contribution since helming the club in 2019.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Khalid, who was earlier leading KLFA. I think it was a very challenging time, not only in terms of politics, with many changes taking place. Football was also going through the pandemic (at the time),” he said.
Meanwhile, Bernard believes Fahmi’s presence can attract more sponsors to the team, particularly after creating history by lifting the 2021 Malaysia Cup.
“I feel someone like in the position of patron (Fahmi) can restore trust (towards) KL City in terms of funding. If there is an injection of funds, KL City can move further,” he said.
Previously, the MFL gave a ‘lifeline’ to two Super League teams, Kedah Darul Aman (KDA FC) and KL City FC, to pay off the salary arrears of their players and officials in stages and that they must try to resolve the matter before March 29.
— Bernama
