Yusri agrees to leave Kelantan to take over as KL coach

PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur have appointed Yusri Che Lah (pic) as the team’s new head coach for the 2019 Super League season.

The former Malaysian international, who was supposed to renew terms with Kelantan, said he got an offer to join Kuala Lumpur after he came back from Mecca.

“Verbally, I agreed to continue my stay with Kelantan and I was waiting for them to offer a contract before Nov 20. When I came back from umrah, they did not offer a contract.

“That’s when Kuala Lumpur came in with an offer and after listening to what the management had to say, I said yes to them,” said the 42-year-old coach.

Yusri said he wants to do his best for Kuala Lumpur as he believed in the ability of the team.

Kuala Lumpur retained 85% of last season’s squad and Yusri said he only needed to sign two foreigners and two local players to complete the roster.

“The team are already strong as it is. Last season, the team finished 10th and my aim is to do better than that. The management have their expectations and as a coach, I have to do my best to fulfil it.

“I hope the coaching staff and the players will work with me to ensure that Kuala Lumpur achieve greater success in the league,” he said.

So far, Kuala Lumpur have announced that they have signed Dutch striker Sylvano Dominique Comvalius, who last played for Thai League 1 club Suphanburi FC.

In 2016, the 31-year-old striker was one of the highly sought-after strikers in South East Asia after scoring 37 goals in 34 games for Bali United in the Liga 1 Indonesia.