Nafuzi to step down as Terengganu coach at end of season

Head coach Nafuzi Zain has turned down an offer from Terengganu to extend his contract with the Turtles, said chief executive officer Ab Rasid Jusoh.

“We received his letter of reply that was sent to our office at 4.47pm yesterday. He did not agree to our offer for his contract to be extended,” said Rasid, after the signing of the 2023 sponsorship agreement between the club and their state government subsidiaries Terengganu Inc Sdn Bhd (Terengganu Inc), Eastern Pacific Industrial Corporation Berhad (EPIC), Syarikat Air Terengganu Sdn Bhd (SATU) and Ladang Rakyat Terengganu Sdn Bhd.

However, Rasid said Nafuzi would still be in charge of the team’s three remaining matches in this season’s Malaysia Cup competition.

They will look for a new head coach for the next Malaysia League season, adding that the candidate’s credentials must either match or be better than Nafuzi’s.

“This is to ensure continuity and the team’s performance will not be affected,” he said, while also expressing his appreciation to Nafuzi for his contribution in taking the club to the FA Cup final this season and the Asian Confederation Cup (AFC) stage next year.

Nafuzi began his career with Terengganu in 2016 as head coach of the T-team President’s Cup squad before being named assistant coach to the Terengganu first team from 2017 to 2019.

He was promoted to head coach in 2020 and his contract will end on Nov 30. — Bernama