KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has vowed to continue "killing" Malaysian football.
The Johor crown prince sarcastically posted on Instagram that his club had done it for more than a decade and told football fans in Malaysia to stop his agenda.
"Not this season. In the coming times. As the country's football killer, I have said it so many times and I will continue killing Malaysian football.
"It has been 11 years since I have spoiled Malaysian football in all aspects. I call on all Malaysian football fans to be united and stop my agenda. Thank you and good luck," said Tunku Ismail.
Some Malaysian football fans have been critical of JDT after a bulk of their players, who made the national team, failed to stamp their mark on the ongoing Asian Cup in Doha. JDT's Natxo Insa, Mohamadou Sumareh and their latest transfer target, Romel Morales, were slated by disgruntled Malaysian football fans following their dismal performances in the 4-0 and 1-0 losses to Jordan and Bahrain respectively.
However, there is validity and substance in Tunku Ismail's sarcastic comments.
Since he became the owner of JDT in 2016, he has made them the undisputed No. 1 club in Malaysian football, as they won the Super League title consecutively in the past 10 seasons and also the continental-level AFC Cup in 2015.
JDT have become a role model for other M-League clubs with their astute planning as they built world-class facilities and managed their team well.
Tunku Ismail, who served as the FA of Malaysia president from 2017-2018, has also contributed to improving football facilities in the country.
In 2022, he sponsored the costs for a new football pitch at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Earlier this month, he agreed to contribute RM300,000 to each state to maintain the pitches once they are upgraded.