KUALA LUMPUR – Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has challenged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to manage the state’s football club (KDA FC), in regards to the latter’s ongoing financial woes.
Sanusi attributed the predicament to the agency’s investigations against the Kedah Football Association (KFA) – of which he is the president – over alleged corruption, which led to sponsors pulling out.
“People do not understand the difference between KFA and KDA FC. They only know the football team. When arrests were made, the sponsors pulled out,” he told a press conference at Wisma Darul Aman, Alor Setar, today.
“I suggest the MACC take over KDA FC, as you are so smart, investigating left and right. You manage the team and pay their salaries.”
It was recently reported that KDA FC’s players have not received their salaries for the past four months, while the club’s management allegedly kept mum and ignored the outstanding payments.
Sanusi said the Kedah government will not be providing financial aid to the club, as it is now under private ownership, who now bears the responsibilities.
“Some have said that ‘Sanusi did not pay the salaries’. I want to clarify that the football team is under a private firm,” he said.
Nonetheless, Sanusi hoped that the club management would settle the issue, after hearing that they were working around the clock to overcome the situation.
Last month, the MACC remanded KFA chief executive officer Zulkifli Che Haron and three individuals, including two consultants aged between 40 and 60 years, to assist in the investigation of a case involving solicitation and acceptance of bribes amounting to RM6 million.
The alleged corrupt funds were believed to be a reward for helping a company owner secure construction project tenders for a race course and projects to manage, operate, and maintain five water retention facilities in Kedah.
It is understood that the ongoing probe was initiated after a contractor reported being promised state projects in exchange for channelling the RM6 million into the football association’s account.
However, Sanusi claimed that he was the real target of the corruption case, asserting that the arrests were fabricated and aimed at tarnishing the image of the Kedah government under his leadership. – February 7, 2024