By MOHD FARHAAN SHAH

JOHOR BARU: Johor are planning to end Kelantan’s dominance in Malaysian football.

And to that end, the signing of three national players – twins Mohd Zaquan Adha, Mohd Aidil Zafuan and Azmi Muslim – is to kick-start the state’s plan to revolutionise the Malaysian football scene.

Johor FA secretary Suhairi Hashim admitted that they now have the financial resources to take on the giants of Malaysian football and have begun identifying new players for both the elite Super League side Johor FC and the second tier Premier League outfit Johor.

“The Johor FA players’ selection committee, headed by our president Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, have already assessed the reports sent in by our scouts nationwide.

“Tunku Ismail will pick the players who’ll fit into our plans to make Johor a dominant force in the local football scene,” Suhairi told The Star yesterday.

“We want to have a strong team capable of vying for silverware in the new season … and to do that we need good quality players.”

He also said that the State FA are in talks with several other national players, including two foreigners currently playing in a top league in Europe.

“We have a long-term plan … to make both the Johor teams the dominant forces in the M-League and hopefully in Asian football.

“We hope to wrap up the signings of new players by next month. We will unveil them at a ceremony in December,” said Suhairi, who revealed that there will also be changes in the names of the Johor teams.

“Johor FC will now be known as Johor while the other team playing in the Premier League will be known as Johor FA.

“These two teams will play at the Larkin Stadium, although some of Johor FA’s matches will be held at the Pasir Gudang Stadium.”

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