Shock end to Fazrul's Sabah stint

Singapore forward Fazrul Nawaz's adventure with Malaysian Premier League side Sabah has ended, just weeks after he signed for the club.

The 29-year-old (below), who signed for the second-tier side last month, has been sacked, along with team manager George O'Callaghan, according to various reports in Malaysia.

Both were absent during the unveiling of the team yesterday, and the club's chief executive officer Datuk Seri TC Goh told Malaysian media that the pair had "disappeared".

Goh was quoted as saying, "They have been missing for a week and we will take the necessary action to report them to the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) and Fifa...

"O'Callaghan failed to perform his duty as the manager and did not set the best example. He had to be dropped because he could not be reached despite having a contract with us till Dec 31..."

Goh added that he would take over as the caretaker team manager, while Justin Ganai will serve as head coach.

Irishman O'Callaghan was not present last Sunday when Sabah lost 2-1 to Sarawak in a pre-season friendly, with Ganai taking charge in the dugout.

Fazrul was already home yesterday and when contacted by The New Paper, the former Home United and LionsXII striker declined comment, saying he was still settling the matter.

EXCITED

The Singaporean - who filled Sabah's slot for an Asian import - was excited at the prospect of playing alongside high-profile players like Senegalese duo El Hadji Diouf (former Liverpool star) and Abdoulaye Faye (ex-Newcastle and Stoke).

Former Shamrock Rovers player Eamon Zayed completed Sabah's foreign legion.

Fazrul was the joint local-born top-scorer, along with Sahil Suhaimi, in last season's Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League with 10 goals, and is known for being hardworking and professional in his approach.

sayheng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 18, 2015.
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