Cardiff City owner to sponsor NFDP?
KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has hinted that Cardiff City owner Tan Sri Vincent Tan could be the new sponsor for the National Football Development Programme (NFDP).
“The biggest problem confronting NFDP is money. We are trying to reduce its dependence on government funds,” Syed Saddiq Syed said during a NFDP Town Hall session with supporters, parents and coaches involved in the programme on Thursday.
“Through this Town Hall Session, I want to show the sponsors that there are many football fans even though we are ranked 171st in the world and they should help us as sponsors.
“The development process needs a large amount of sponsorship whi le most sponsors would only come in when we are winning but at this development stage, they want to wait and see.
“So this is why we need to find a sponsor who really loves the country. If he could place the ‘Visit Malaysia’ logo on his team’s jersey, I am confident he would help us here,” the minister hinted at the session held in Bukit Jalil.
Tan, who is also Berjaya Corporation Bhd executive chairman, is the owner of the newly promoted English Premier League club Cardiff City.
The ‘Visit Malaysia’ logo is still displayed on the back of the jersey of the team called ‘ The Bluebirds’ even though the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry had stopped its sponsorship of the club after the 2013/14 season.
Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq said the ministry would find the best solution to empower NFDP apart from making a decision on the future of Mokhtar Dahari Footbal l Academy director Lim Teong Kim soon. — Bernama