- BY K. RAJAN -

PETALING JAYA: Armed Forces coach B. Sathianathan has downplayed the hype surrounding their Super League match against Selangor at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi, tonight.

 The Forces-Selangor clash is expected to be a fiery one as the two teams almost came to blows during their FA Cup first round encounter. Selangor packed off Forces 3-2 via a penalty shootout after the match ended 2-2.

 Both teams are also facing sanctions from the FAM disciplinary committee, who will deliberate on the matter tomorrow.

Calm before the storm: Forces coach B. Sathianathan has downplayed the hype surrounding their Super League match against Selangor in Paroi tonight.

 The scuffle between both teams also caught the attention of the Youth and Sport Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek who urged FAM to take stern action against the players involved.

 Former national coach Sathia has told his players to go all out to get the full three points.

 “The incident happened after the match and it is not a serious matter. The players lost their temper and were pushing and shoving,” said Sathia.

 “People including the minister have talked about it but it is all hype and we are not bothered about it. All these brouhaha also won’t affect our game.”

 Commenting on their dismal 1-1 draw with Negri Sembilan which dashed their hopes of topping the table, Sathia said his players were punished for taking their opponents lightly.

 The draw saw Forces drop to fourth spot in the league with 11 points after six matches, two points behind leaders Selangor who have 13 points after playing the same number of matches.

 “We paid the price for not respecting our opponents. I have warned the players about it but they didn’t listen and we dropped points,” lamented the 54-year-old coach. “Now we have no choice but to win our next game. Selangor have been playing well and, in fact, are the best team in the league at the moment.

 “Beating them will make up for our FA Cup exit and furthermore we may even emerged as the new league leaders.”

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