Did Chilean coach Simon Elissetche sue the wrong party when he declared "legal war" on Kuala Lumpur United FC (KLUFC)?
Kuala Lumpur United FC chief executive officer Stanley Bernard felt he was wrongly accused of claiming Elissetche does not possess a professional coaching licence and that was why he appointed Croat Bojan Hodak as the Kuala Lumpur coach for the 2021 season.
On Wednesday, Elissetche alleged that KLUFC cancelled his contract without going through "proper reasoning" or procedures. He is suing KL United for breach of contract and casting aspersions on his coaching credentials.
However, Bernard, a former KL player, denied Elissetche's claim yesterday and said he was misquoted.
"Bernama has taken full responsibility (for the misquoted story) and I did not say that he (Elissetche) is not certified by the AFC (Asian Football Confederation).
"We submitted the RECC (recognition of coaching competence), tried to help him too (with the language for the required paperwork).
"I have photos showing that we tried to help him because he claimed the club never helped him."
Bernard, 34, a former football commentator, pointed out that he only took office as CEO officially on Jan 1, 2021 while Elissetche's contract showed Dec 1, 2020 as the start date.
According to Stanley, the letterhead in Elissetche's alleged contract stated "FA" (referring to KLFA) but he is suing KLUFC instead.
"I would say as what I've been saying before, which is - is it FA or FC? And I'm asking him (Elissetche) because the letterhead says "FA", so why are you coming after KLUFC?
"He only arrived (in Kuala Lumpur) on Dec 22 (as stated by the FA) but his contract is dated Dec 1 on the basis of head coach of the FA which has nothing to do with the FC.
"Our board (KLUFC board) only convened after Jan 1 and did not function operationally prior to that. So this deal was made before the FC's establishment."
Kuala Lumpur FA secretary Nokman Mustaffa, on Wednesday, expressed his disappointment with Elissetche over his actions instead of going to the FA first.
On the same day, Elissetche and his lawyers held a press conference in Kuala Lumpur to express his "disappointment" at the "damage" to his coaching credentials over Bernard's media statement on Jan 10 (which turned out to be misquoted).
It was conveyed that Elissetche was offered a job in Indonesia but which came to a stop due to the "question" about his coaching licence.
It is learnt that KLUFC have been served with legal documents pertaining to a civil suit but there was no claim of "unlawful" contract termination.