Phew! for Selangor as Indonesian imports finally arrive

PETALING JAYA: Selangor coach P. Maniam can heave a sigh of relief after the Red Giants’ two Indonesian imports – Evan Dimas and Ilham Armaiyn – finally arrived in Malaysia.

The duo’s transfer to Selangor hit a snag when they failed to report for duty on Dec 28 after AllIndonesian Football Association (PSSI) president Edy Rahmayadi forbade players from playing in leagues outside the country.

The issue was resolved after Football Association of Selangor (FAS) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal met Edy in Jakarta and he agreed to release Evan and Ilham.

Maniam said he can now work on getting the team to gel as a unit in the pre-season before the Super League kicks off on Feb 3.

“We finally have the full squad and I’m looking forward to having them (Evan and Ilham) in the team. I hope they can adapt to the squad fast,” said Maniam yesterday.

“The key to doing well next sea- son is understanding between the players and teamwork.

“We’re planning a team-building exercise to integrate the players.

“Evan and Ilham will join the training on Monday. We’ll start working on tactics after this. There’s still plenty of time to prepare for the season.”

Evan, the Indonesian Under-23 team skipper, promised to give his all for the team and use his experience to help Selangor win silverware.

He is also drawing inspiration from Selangor’s past Indonesian imports like Elie Aiboy, Bambang Pamungkas and Andik Vermansyah.

“This is a golden opportunity for me to follow in the footsteps of my country’s past footballing heroes,” said Evan, after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Friday.

“I want to repay Selangor’s faith in me by helping the team win at least one trophy this season.”