Football: Kuching FC considered all risks before signing Gabriel Palmero, says Fazzrudin

KUCHING (March 8): Kuching City FC has taken into account all the risks before agreeing to bring in Gabriel Palmero to join the team.

Kuching City FC Football Club president Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said that during the initial negotiations, the club had taken into account various factors including the possibility of suspension.

“We have indeed discussed the risk and when the matter (suspension) happened we discussed it with him (Gabriel) and he also understood.

“I also advised him to stick with training because the 12-month period is not a long time. We are also always open to receiving him when the suspension period is over,” he said.

He told reporters after attending the Aidilfitri donation presentation ceremony for the underprivileged in the Gita area here, today.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Football League (MFL) announced that four players from the Malaysia League (M-League) will not be allowed to play in official matches for 12 months following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the appeal case of seven Harimau Malaya players recently.

The MFL, through a statement, announced that the four players consisted three Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) players, namely Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, as well as Kuching City FC player Gabriel Palmero.

The four players are among seven who were taken action by the International Football Federation (FIFA) for falsifying naturalization and eligibility documents to represent the Malaysian national squad.

Last Thursday, CAS partially allowed the appeal of the seven players against FIFA’s punishment and ruled their continued 12-month suspension and a fine of CHF 350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million) against FAM is appropriate, proportionate and remains in effect. – Bernama