Irfan Bakti is the "Special One" for Terengganu

HE may not be Jose Mourinho but to many football fans in Terengganu, Irfan Bakti Abu Salim is the "Special One".

Terengganu Supporters Club (Peteh) secretary Wan Mohd Azmi Wan Ngah said if not for the Kelantan- born 58-year-old coach, Terennganu could not have won the FA Cup and finished second in the Super League this season.


Terengganu players celebrate with Irfan after winning the FA Cup

"The last time we won a major trophy was back in 2001 when coach Mat Zan Mat Aris steered Terengganu to the Malaysia Cup.

"Then other coaches such as Tajuddin Noor, Yunus Alif, Mohd Nik and Ken Worden came and went without success until Irfan came along to end the 10-year silverware drought," he said.
Wan Mohd Azmi said Terengganu were struggling prior to Irfan's arrival last year but the coach was able to straighten things out in just one season.

"He put the house in order in the shortest of time and this season, we are once again a team to be reckoned with.

"His masterstroke was bringing in Abdul Hadi Yahya from T-Team and he turned the striker into a Golden Boot winner in just one season," he said.

Terengganu FA vice president Marzuki Sulong said Irfan is a great motivator who is well known in producing top goal scorers before.

"With Irfan at the helm, it is no coincidence that Abdul Hadi is the Super League top scorer with 20 goals this year.

"Last year it was Ashaari Samsudin who won the Golden Boot under Irfan and the year before when the coach was with Perlis, it was his player, Nizaruddin Yusof who won the honour," he said.

Marzuki said most football fans in the state are concerned that Irfan's contract is due to expire at the end of the year.

"There were talks about him leaving the team last year but he decided to stay and we hope he is going to be with us for many years to come," he said.