Haris is latest Rhino recruit
Published on: Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: GL Oh
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee has confirmed the signing of Charalampos ‘Haris’ Stamboulidis (pic) as the Rhinos’ latest foreign player this season.
The 1.85-metre tall Australian midfielder who can also play as a defender last featured for Veria New Football Club in the Greek third tier league came for trial with the team a month ago.
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Ong said the management of Sabah FC are satisfied with the performance of Haris and came to the conclusion that he has the characteristics of a player needed to strengthen the team.
He also said Sabah FC still has one more slot for imported players but it will only be filled if the financial aspect allows.
“It is true that there is a need but it will depend entirely on the financial position of the Sabah FC management, and if it is a possibility then, we will try to evaluate quality imported players to fill the vacant slot,” he said on Thursday.
He added that Dainel Ting, who was on loan from from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) FC last season, will be extending his loan spell with Sabah FC for another season.
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“We will continue to loan him from JDT FC until the end of the season. Sabah FC are satisfied with the overall performance shown by Daniel Ting throughout the season with the team.”
The head coach in his third season with the team is also confident the team are on the right track in preparation for the new season.
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Their pre-season warm-up matches were supposed to begin with Melaka FC at Likas Stadium tonight which was cancelled followed by a series of friendly matches as a team bonding trip starting on April 23 in Keningau.
After that, they will hold further matches in Sandakan and Tawau before taking part in the Sabah Maju Jaya Cup (SMJ) competition scheduled from April 29 to May 5.
Meanwhile, Sabah FC director Mohd Joh Wid in a statement released on Friday said the cancellation of Saturday’s friendly match against Melaka FC is due to the recent eruption of Mount Ruang in Sulawesi, Indonesia after receiving a notification letter from the Melaka FC management in the morning.
He also said there is no certainty the match will be rescheduled in the near future but assured the ticket holders that there will be two options available for them.
“Sabah FC will offer two options to those who have already bought the tickets, which is either to have the money refunded or to use them to watch one of the SMJ Cup matches later.
“Once again, on behalf of Sabah FC, we apologise for this matter and hope that the situation will return to normal soon,” he said.
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