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| Replacement for Salle Kone. Credit to Aiok CanonFreak |
KUCHING: With injury uncertainties hanging over their Cameroon striker Kalle
Sone, Sarawak have called up a Croatian striker Vedran Muratovic, 28, as a
replacement, pending Kalle’s medical and other agreement.
The need to
sign a replacement striker was exacerbated by the groin injury suffered by
Kalle, whose absence was greatly felt in the last home defeat to
Terengganu.
Before that, Kalle, a Cameroon Olympic striker who had played
in the European league in Romania, had been missing in Sarawak’s first match
against Kuala Lumpur and Sabah.
Verdan, who had played in France, was
available after he called the agent Jules Onana who was a friend to Sarawak
coach Robert Alberts of his predicament - after he was given promises to play in
Indonesia but the promise was not fulfilled.
“In the interest of the
whole team and the new FAM ruling that allowed such a replacement in case of
injury to a foreign player, this player was available and the fact that for the
last two matches we need a foreign striker badly.
“This Croatian player
never played for his national team but he had played at the club level in France
and is an out-and-out striker highly recommended by my agent and
friend.
“He met all the requirments we look for in a foreign
striker.
“He had come to Indonesia to play for the club and they had
given him promises but when he arrived, it was all promises, promises,” said
Alberts who had seen videos of him and all that is needed to be done is the
documents to be submitted to FAM and the medical.
If all is well with the
Croatian player, who would be flying in last night (Wednesday night) and only be
available in the match after the Chinese New Year against Negri Sembilan, if it
goes according to plan.
On Kalle, Alberts said the Sarawak FA management
had discussed with him expressing their concern over his injury problem and
Kalle understood the situation.
“It was unfortunate, he (Kalle) came to
Sarawak but nobody expected this to happen.
“We are all very sad for
Kalle as he’d shown the class but we’ve to think of the team as he had already
missed three matches and might be missing four or even six matches.
And
that will be one-third of the season gone.”
