The Canaries are all set to samba again now that the ban on foreign players has been lifted.
With the new Super League season starting on Jan 10, Kedah have signed on two Brazilians in towering defender Danilo Vivaldo and striker Daniel Soares Neves.
Kedah have fond memories of Brazilian midfield maestro Andre Nascimento who won the hearts of the Hijau Kuning fans. Only the ban on foreign players by the FA of Malaysia forced Nascimento to part ways with Kedah in 1999.
Kedah officials are hoping Vivaldo and Neves will bring back the famous samba beat to their Super League campaign.
Coach Wan Jamak Wan Hassan, however, warned against taking things for granted just because the duo were from Brazil.
“They may be skilful but, at the end of the day, what matters is their ability to adapt to local conditions and blend with the team,” said the former national coach.
“With the League proper just a month away, I will have to make sure that they do just that. They have to settle down fast.
“My immediate task is to arrange as many warm-up matches as possible so that the players get comfortable with each other.”
The boys from Brazil come with strong credentials. Neves has played for no less than 10 clubs since 1996. They include top Indonesian Liga Primer outfit PSM Makassar in the 2009-2010 season, before featuring for Machhindra FC in the Nepali League in 2010-2011.
Vivaldo, 24, may not be as experienced, having played for three Brazilian clubs since 2005. But at 1.89m (6ft 2in), he will be a towering presence in the Kedah defence.
Back-to-back treble champs in 2007 and 2008, Kedah have failed to recapture those glory days in recent years.
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