Kota Kinabalu: Former State player Henry Saimpon called on Sabah Football Association (Safa) to set up a Sabah Football League or to revive the Borneo Cup.
He said the move for the football league would not only appeal to the football community in Sabah but would also help to unearth more local talents.
“This will also provide a second chance to former State players including those who had brought glory to the State by winning the Premier League title in 2019 to continue their careers.
“It is sad to see that many of them who are still able to contribute have been dropped as the result of reshuffle by the management,” he said this after officiating the opening ceremony of the 11-a-side football carnival for the veteran category at the Tamparuli town field on Sunday.
He also said the Borneo Cup competition is not to compete with the Malaysian League, but to make football more appealing in Borneo, especially in Sabah.
“If the Borneo Cup is revived, it will involve the participation of teams not only from Sabah but also from Sarawak and foreign countries in Borneo including Brunei and teams from Kalimantan.
“It is a tough task but not impossible with careful planning, I believe like the football league, it will appeal to the football community and definitely will unearth more new talents,” he said.
Henry, who is also the vice president of the Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) party, added that he is willing to prepare paperwork to establish the Sabah League or to revive the Borneo Cup.
“If any one of the tournaments become a reality, it would be organised by Safa every year regardless of who heads the association.
“We need more football leagues or tournaments in Sabah. If we look at the Peninsular Malaysia, there are many leagues and tournaments, why not in Sabah?
“As a former player who once wore the State squad jersey, I would definitely like to see more local talents being represented. It’s a shame that many local players are not featured in Sabah FC’s first team squad.
“They could probably shine in other big tournaments if given the chance.
“In addition, the Sabah League and Borneo Cup competitions will also give our local coaches an opening. At the moment Sabah has many certified coaches but no team to manage and if this proposal is successful then it will give them an opportunity to show their capabilities,” he added.
