Monday, 8 August 2011

Financial problems affecting Penang team

Financial problems stretched back since 2009 have played a huge role in Penang''s decline in the Premier league, said Football Association of Penang (FAP) president Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim.

He claimed that the Penang government was not committed in helping the state team restore their glory by not providing any funds and financial aid since two years ago.

"We did get RM250,000 each from the Penang Water Supply Corporation and the Penang Development Corporation in 2009. No allocation was forthcoming from the state government for two years now.

"I understand that, the FAP used to get an allocation of RM3 million a year from the state government to manage the state team and run football development programme," he told reporters after the FAP annual general meeting here recently.

Zahrain said as a result, the FAP had to raise its own fund besides seeking financial aid from the federal government.

He said the FAP was embarking on a transformation programme to relive the state''s football glory and hoped the state government to join hands to make it a success by putting politics aside like Kelantan, whose performance soared way above expectations.

Penang fared badly in the Premier League last season and finished at the wrong end to the table and relegated to the Super League next season after recording 20 losses, one win and one draw.

In another development, Zahrain said the FAP would host a football carnival in September to unearth new talents at Universiti Sains Malaysia with 32 teams vying for the Penang Yang di-Pertua Negeri Cup and RM10,000 in September.

On financial misappropriation allegation in the FAP, he said internal investigations on irregularities in financial management and administration of the state team were still being pursued.

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