KUALA LUMPUR – Penang FC fans are set to see more young talent breaking into the scene under the leadership of the club’s newly appointed technical director, Merzagua Abderrazak.
The Moroccan has joined the Black Panthers for a third stint, having played as a striker in the 1990s and served as the club’s head coach in 2012.
Called the “Great Merz,” the 57-year-old was a fan favourite during his heyday in Penang, where he was influential with his goals that helped the club secure two league titles in 1998 and 2001.
However, Abderrazak is set to have a bigger task this time at the club, where he has to develop and mould the players in the club’s youth system for absorption into the senior team.
Speaking to Scoop, Penang FC’s general manager Jeffrey Chew said the club’s youth system was more systematic than before since Abderrazak came on board.
“Everything has been going really well since the day Merzagua joined us, and I believe that he’s the right person for the club to move forward with the youth players that we have in the years to come.
“One of the great things that Merzagua has done since becoming the technical director is to relook into developing the under-18 and under-20 teams. These two projects have not been really good over the last three years.
“There was always criticism that we were not able to recruit our own state players, and we ended up getting players from different states into our team. Things have been changing since Merzagua came on board, and we will definitely provide him with the time he needs.
“Merzagua has been in Penang for many years and he knows the ins and outs of schools and the community. We used to have only 50-60% of Penang-based players in our team, but now I can confidently say that we will have 95% of our players from Penang in the years to come. Having Merzagua with us is a big asset for the club, and his experience alone means a lot to us,” said Jeffrey when contacted.
Penang FC, under the tutelage of former national player Akmal Rizal, have so far signed two foreign players – Brazilian-born Rodrigo Dias from Kuwaiti club Khaitan SC and Ghanaian Richmond Ankrah on loan from Selangor FC.
The club, affectionately known as the “Black Panthers” by fans, have won the league thrice (1982, 1998 and 2001), the FA Cup once (2002) and the Malaysia Cup four times (1953, 1954, 1958 and 1974).
This season’s Super League campaign is expected to begin on May 10.
Last season, the club finished 10th in the league with 24 points. – April 9, 2024