Easy FA Cup second-round draw for Pahang as JDT get a bye
KUALA LUMPUR: Defending champions Pahang have an easy second-round date in the FA Cup competition after being pitted against amateur side Persada Integriti Bersatru (PIB) FC next month.
The second-round draw also sees Premier League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) getting a bye into the last 16.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Datuk Wira Yusoff Mahadi officiated the draw at the Empire Gallery, Damansara here yesterday. The secondround matches will be played on April 2 and 3.
Pahang manager Datuk Mohamed Suffian Awang said they would never underestimate their opponents.
“We cannot take it easy against the amateur team. We will field our best line-up.
“Every team dreams of marching into the final and lifting the Cup. It won’t be easy for us to defend the title as all the big teams have very good players,” he told reporters after the draw.
The plum tie of the second round is definitely the clash between five-time champions Selangor and two-time winners Kelantan.
Selangor manager Datuk Rauf Ahmad said Kelantan, who are now playing in the second-tier Premier League, would still pose a threat as they were an experienced team and had a good record in the FA Cup.
“The draw today wasn’t an easy one for us as we know how tough Kelantan used to be,” he said.
Thirty teams, including 10 amateur sides, will slug it out in the second round of the FA Cup competition. - Bernama