THE Sabah government will settle the RM6 million accumulated debt owed by the Sabah Football Association (Safa), including months of unpaid wages for the players.  

Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said the debt will be settled in staggered payments.

He also defended the continuity of the sport in the state, citing the potential of Sabah players, despite millions of ringgit being spent to keep the game alive.

“So we have appointed a new management in Safa and they will be in charge of overseeing the spending. We don’t want any more of the public funds being wasted.

“Millions of ringgit are given to Safa each year, when I could spend the money into other sectors and create job opportunities.

“But we must continue as our players have all the potentials to be champions again,” said Shafie, citing the era when football greats like James Wong and Andrew Laban used to represent the state and the national team.

He said this during the unveiling of the Sabah football team new jersey and players at a five-star hotel in Kota Kinabalu, today.

Shafie, who is also the patron for Safa, did not elaborate how Safa was able to run up such huge debt but noted that the state government will check into its accounts to find out how.

It is understood that much of the debt was accumulated from the players’ wages, with some of the players not receiving any salary for the past five months, as well as rental of match venues. – January 27, 2019.