Kelantan aim to defend the Malaysia Cup

Kelantan have become a marked team as they bid to retain their Malaysia Cup title when the tournament kicks off in September.

After winning their first Super League title, their celebration has been tempered by the high expectation of their fans while the likes of Terengganu and Selangor are gunning for their scalp.

Kelantan skipper Badhri Radzi warned that retaining the title will be even more difficult than winning it the first time around.

"Last season, we tried to win the league title but failed and finished second. But we then went on to win the Malaysia Cup.

"This year, our ambition to win the Super League was achieved and this was after we lost in the FA Cup final. That defeat to Terengganu made us even more determined to make sure the league title did not slip from our grasp.

"Now everyone expects us to go on and win the Malaysia Cup but it is easier said than done. If winning it last year was tough, it will be even tougher to win it for the second time in a row," said Badhri after receiving the Super League trophy in a ceremony at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday.

Kelantan have become a victim of their own success after nine players were called up by the FA of Malaysia in the build up to the Malaysia Cup.

With five Kelantan players, including Badhri, called up for a selection trial for the Malaysian side to play Chelsea on July 23 and another four players with the national team preparing for Malaysia's Asian World Cup qualifier against Singapore, coach M. Karathu fears his preparations for the Malaysia Cup will be disrupted.

"With so many players missing, it's difficult to do much work.

"I'll have to work with the reserves before the players return during the fasting month," said Karathu, who won a league title for the first time in his long career.