Kedah confident of defending Charity Shield despite shortcomings

PETALING JAYA: Kedah will not have a full house of five imports but that’s not a problem.

They are convinced that they possess a competitive squad to challenge on all fronts this season when they begin their Charity Shield defence against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) at the Larkin Stadium tomorrow.

The Red Eagles have two new foreign signings – Spaniard Pablos Pallares and Filipino Alvaro Silva.

The 30yearold striker Pallares was hired from Spanish second division Ponferradina while the 33yearold centreback Alvaro previously played for Hanoi FC, the threetime Vietnam League champions.

Kedah have retained the services of Kosovan Liridon Krasniqi and Brazilian Sandro da Silva.

The two midfielders have been instrumental in Kedah’s success last season that saw them win the FA Cup, finish as the runnersup in the Malaysia Cup and fourth in the Super League.

Kedah FA (KFA) president Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah wants the local players in their squad to step up and be given the opportunity to shine as they are “as good as” any other players in the region.

“We’ve players who are as capable and they should be given a chance to prove themselves,” said Ahmad Bashah after launching the team’s new kit in Alor Setar on Wednesday night.

The KFA’s decision, however, may not go down well with head coach Ramon Marcote. He has made it clear from the start that the team would need to utilise all the five import quotas if they were to challenge archrivals JDT and Pahang.

Kedah remain as the only Super League side that have yet to make the most of the new import ruling introduced by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP).