KOTA BARU, Feb 7 — Kelantan United Football Club (KUFC) completed their quota of four imported players with their latest signing, namely Shuhei Fukai from Japan who will shore up their midfield in this season’s Malaysia League (M-League) that is scheduled to get underway next month.
Kelantan United FC Sdn Bhd executive director Anas Karimi Ahmad Thani said the 28-year-old player had arrived in Malaysia and would be joining KUFC’s training programme which has been arranged by the coaching staff.
“He will take up a defensive position in midfield to fill the vacancy left behind by Aylton Alemao, our import player last season, who has migrated to Kuching City FC this season.
“The Saitama-born player started his footballing career with Omiya Hardija in 2009 and thereafter played for Hokuriku University from 2012-2015, donned Blaublitz Akita club’s jersey for two seasons (2016-2018) and was signed up by Grulla Morioka, the following year,” he said in a statement here today.
Prior to this, KUFC had signed up two midfielders from Japan namely Masashi Motoyama and Yuki Tanigawa and striker Gassama Alfussainey from Gambia.
Anas Karimi also disclosed that KUFC had hired local player Mohamad Qayyum Marjoni Sabil, who had played for Kuala Lumpur previously, on a one-year contract.
“Qayyum is a product of Kelantan FA before this and once played for the Harimau Muda (national junior squad). He started playing at the senior level in 2016 but opted to join PKNS in 2018,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kelantan Football Club (Kelantan FC) operations manager Jamilulail Jamiludin announced that the Premier League club’s launching ceremony for its jerseys and unveiling of the team line up for this season that was supposed to be done virtually from here today had been postponed due to the movement control order 2.0 (MCO 2.0) that is in force to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
“We abide by the MCO 2.0 that has been extended by the government until February 18, 2021. Club officials are now working from home in heeding the government’s call to Malaysians to look after their safety and break the chain of Covid-19 transmission.
“Due to this, various club activities could not proceed smoothly and we apologise that we have postpone this programme to a date to be fixed later,” he said in a statement. — Bernama
