KUALA LUMPUR: With his team doing badly in the Super League, Kuala Lumpur coach Yusri Che Lah has decided to “sack” himself.
Yusri, who resigned as KL coach today, said he took responsibility for the City Boys’ performance and acted in the best interest of the team.
The former Perlis star stressed that he was not pressure by any party, be it Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) or the fans.
KL, who suffered defeat in all five of their Super League matches this season, are rock bottom of the table.
“I have resigned with the consent of the KLFA management. If I resigned without their consent, action could be taken against me based on the contract,” said Yusri.
“Not everyone realises that the five matches we faced were against strong teams like Pahang, JDT, Terengganu, Melaka United and Selangor.
“Honestly, I do not feel that the players ‘killed’ (boycotted) me. I believe that if I am honest with people, they will also be honest with me.”
Kuala Lumpur lost to Pahang (3-1), Johor Darul Ta'azim (4-1), Terengganu (1-0), Melaka United (2-0) and Selangor (3-2).
KLFA secretary general Nokman Mustaffa said assistant coach Chong Yee Fatt will take charge of the KL team before they appoint a permanent replacement.
“It takes time to find a replacement and we also have to look at the costs involved. KL do not have a lot of money, we just have enough (to survive)," said Nokman.
“We hope Chong can bring some positive changes. We hope that the fans will be patient and not be too quick to blame the coaches, forcing them to resign."
Former KL coach Fabio Maciel of Brazil has been tipped as a replacement for Yusri and is believed to be in talks with KLFA.
“There have been a lot of coaches asking for the job since we lost the first match itself. I, myself, had a headache from all those who were asking to coach KL,” added Nokman.
“As of yesterday, there have already been five coaches who have stated their interest. We are not sure yet, we could bring in the old coach but have to see what he is asking (salary) for. If it is a lot, then it will be tough because we have a limited budget for this year."
KL won the Premier League under Maciel in 2017 but he was rested last year following their inconsistent performance.