Sarawak is perfect for Manchester City’s plan to invest in Malaysian football
May 24, 2019
News yesterday broke out that the City Football Group is looking into investing in a Malaysian.
According to a report by the New Straits Times, the news comes as City chief executive officer (CEO) Ferran Soriano visited Malaysia and talked to the Malaysian Sports Minister Syed Saddiq.
Saddiq said that many things were discussed including a possible collaboration with Malaysia which includs plans to invest in the Malaysian football scene.
Soriano was also quoted as saying that City are interested in collaborating with Malaysia, and this includes investing in a Liga Malaysia side.
The City Football Group already has quite several teams within their group which include Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan, Girona FC in Spain and Sichuan Jiuniu of China. Of course, Manchester City of the English Premier League is the most well-known one.
Although nothing concrete has been made known so far, I feel that the City group should consider investing Sarawak football, or probably own the Sarawak football team.
Here’s why:
Fan base
Sarawak has one of the most passionate football fans in the country. When the team surged to win the Liga Premier in 2013, people fought tooth and nail to get tickets to every match with some coming to the stands four hours before the match is scheduled to start. Sarawak’s fan base also spreads nationwide with a sizeable available in Johor, the Klang Valley and Sabah. The support is so massive that the fans had sometimes outnumbered the local fans on away day trips.
Talented youngsters
There is no denying that Sarawak has plenty of potential youngsters waiting to be discovered and City can do just that with their deep pockets. Players like Joseph Kalang, Rodney Celvin, Ashri Chuchu, and Gabriel Nistelrooy are examples of Sarawakians that made an impact despite the lack of scouting by the Football Association of Sarawak. Imagine if City bought Sarawak and used their capabilities to scout for young talents! There’s a huge pool just waiting to be discovered!
Merchandising opportunity
The current Sarawak management had always complained of their lack of funding. The lack of funds to be honest is due to their own doing as the team is not managed as a professional club, hence allowing key financial sources like merchandising to slip off their hands. In 2012 – 2013, when the team was high riding in the league, third party groups made millions off Sarawak football by selling merchandise. If City invested in Sarawak and turns the club around, the return of investment through merchandising is guaranteed.
Also Read:
10 facts you may not know about Sarawak FA
Why is Sabah FA succeeding this season?
Why is JDT unstoppable in the Liga Malaysia
This article is brought to us by our Sports Writers Club resident columnist – Cyril Dason.
