MORA-LE BOOSTING FANS ARE BACK
But JDT coach must shout louder to his players
JOHOR Darul Ta’zim (JDT) head coach Benjamin Mora welcomed the return of fans to the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Friday as they beat Melaka United 3-0 in a Super League match.
The Sultan Ibrahim Stadium and KLFA Stadium were used as testing grounds by the government in allowing fans back for M-League matches.
But only 10 per cent of the stadiums' capacity or 2,000 people, whichever is less, are allowed under supervisory control.
Mora jokingly complained that his voice was drowned out by the cheers of the fans (several hundreds of them) when he tried to shout instructions to his players.
However, the Mexican said football needs fans as they are the heart of the game.
“Of course, it’s motivation for the team because the fans are closer to them. But then the players couldn’t listen to me.
“In the last game (against Perak on March 21), they could (listen to Mora). That’s the only thing I didn’t like,” he said.
So, while the return of fans is good for JDT, it’s bad for Mora’s vocal cords.
“But I’m happy the fans are here with us,” he added.
In a reference to JDT’s draws against Selangor and Perak earlier, Mora said: “We started well (against Melaka). It’s important that we know how we start, is the way we’re going to most likely finish. When we played Selangor and Perak, we didn’t start well.”
JDT’s Natxo Insa didn’t play against Melaka as he was suspended by FAM for pushing the referee in the match against Perak.
On Insa’s suspension, Mora said: “What Insa did wasn’t right, to which he was fined and suspended but what the other team did to us wasn’t good too.
“JDT don’t like to fight with referees or our opponents. We play football and perform but sometimes it’s frustrating but that’s football. So we turn the page, wait for Insa to come back and prepare for Sabah.”
JDT’s goals against Melaka were scored by Adam Nor Azlin (fourth minute), and Brazilian Bergson da Silva (eighth and 82nd).