All are in order in Safa – Peter
Sabah Football Associa on (Safa) ac ng president Datuk Peter Anthony said ‘all are in order’ with regard to governing and managing the state football body.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Football Association (Safa) acting president Datuk Peter Anthony said 'all are in order' with regard to governing and managing the state football body.
He said things had been done accordingly and transparent for the betterment of the sport.
And this includes the issuing and sales of Season Tickets, which he comnfirmed has the blessing from the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
"There were complaints by certain parties in social media and that some even lodged reports to the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) that SAFA have sold courterfeit tickets during the Premier League season opener where Sabah hosted Johor Darul Ta'azim II at the Likas Stadium on February 2.
"I've said it before and will said it again, all these are not true. We have done what was required and follow the rules set by the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) or the MFL.
"It includes the sale of tickets which was carried out transparently...we also have approval letter from MFL.
"All are in order," said Peter, who is also the Infrastructre Development Minister yesterday, while showing the letter from MFL.
He told reporters this during a press conference after chairing the meeting in preparation for the Premier League match between Sabah and Terengganu FC II here.
According to him, Safa were given the greenlight to sell season tickets or passes and that it was part of the effort to source for funds for the association.
"Proceeds from the sales of match tickets at the Likas Stadium are important to generate Safa's income for the Sabah team management and it includes paying salaries of the players.
"Apart from outside sponsorship, SAFA need to find other sources because we no longer receive funds from the state government like before," he said.
Peter said that the new Safa committee emphasised on the practice of transparency and integrity in managing the association, particularly in financial aspect.
He Safa committee also have representatives from the Sabah MACC and Sabah Police to ensure that integrity is always prioritised and away from corrupt practices.
In other development, Peter said Safa had received the resignation letter of deputy president I Hamid Apdal and it would be discussed at the association's annual general meeting.
Towards this end, Peter hoped there would be no more issues that would disrupt the administration and management of the association after this.
"We want to fully concentrate on strengthening the association as well as the Sabah teams in the Malaysian League," he said.