Kedah decides not to sign former players

Hopes of Kedah football enthusiasts to see Marlon Alex James and Nelson San Martin returning 'home' to don the colours of Kedah were dashed after a recent announcement that the duo will not be joining the team next year.

Kedah coach Wan Jamak Wan Hassan said they were not selected by the Kedah Football Association (KFA) due to age factor and injuries sustained which may hinder their performance in coming games.

"They are above 30 now and will take one or two months to recover from their injuries and that is a disadvantage to the Kedah FA.

"It would also be a waste of the people's and fans' money because they may not be able to play with the team in all 56 matches next season including the AFC Cup, FA Cup, Super League and Malaysia Cup," he said when contacted by Bernama here today.

Marlon, 35, and Nelson, 31, who played for Kedah from 2006 to 2008, were very influential players who helped the team emerge triple title winners in the League, Cup and Malaysia Cup for two consecutive seasons back in 2007 and 2008.

Marlon was also awarded best imported player and top striker for the Malaysian Super League and Malaysia Cup in 2008, which left Kedah fans unable to accept the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) decision to bar the services of import players in August 2008.

Meanwhile, Wan Jamak admitted he was more attracted to the playing skills of local players compared with imports during a friendly match between Kedah and the Import Select Team last night.

He said local players had stood out but there were several imported players who would be tested again before being selected for the state squad.

"I see that they (import players) have good potential and I will give them a chance because of their high commitment and chemistry with our players.

"We have another important game against a football team from Songkhla, Thailand on Wednesday (tomorrow) and that is when we will determine who will be selected," he said.

Wan Jamak said his initial plan was to sign a foreign player to play in the central defence and striker roles.

Among the names of imported players expected to join Kedah are Daniel Soares Neves who has played for the Rio Claro team in Brazil.

The game held at the Darul Aman Stadium last night saw the Kedah Super League team beat the Import Select Team 3-1 in front of over 1,000 fans.