KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Selangor FC’s newly appointed coach Nidzam Jamil values the role played by each player in the team highly as they have been very cooperative with the coaching staff.

Nidzam, the former Felda United coach and assistant to Tan Cheng Hoe was serving as the interim coach for the 2023 Super League runner-up, before being appointed as the head coach this month, after the departure of former head coach Cheng Hoe.

The former Selangor stalwart with an abundance of experience and knowledge about the players and team management of Selangor, Nidzam who played for Selangor from 2000 to 2004, feels he was lucky to be given the task to lead Selangor FC because every individual in the squad are equipped with vast experience and have carried out their duties very well.

According to Nidzam, having such credentials has given him a smooth start to the team’s pre-season preparations since training sessions are being carried out at night throughout the month of Ramadan, while the 2024/2025 Malaysian Football League (MFL) Super League starts in May.

“We not only have an expert dietician who plays an important role in avoiding unbalanced performances during the Ramadan month. We also have liaison officers who assist new players, especially the import players to adapt to the night training carried out during the month of Ramadan.

“Most importantly the club provides all the information needed for players who will be readily assisted by officials in the club.

“We are lucky because Selangor has a team of officials and officers who carry out their duties well in their respective departments, assistant coach and physical trainer who have been in the business for eight seasons and know what kind of training is needed during the Ramadan month,” he told Bernama.

The 44-year-old coach said it was normal for any import player who comes to Malaysia for the first time with their family, to take some time to adjust to the conditions, especially when training is held at night throughout the month of Ramadan.

There are families of players who are surprised when training is held at 10pm because it disrupts their daily routine, he said.

“Its normal but we are lucky to have officials who can assist these families of import players. We take the humanitarian approach rather than following scientific approach. Science is important but being non Muslims, we need to assist them to face the situation during the Ramadan month,” he said.

In the 2024/2025 season, Selangor will not only be competing in the M-League but also feature in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) organised AFC Champions League campaign (ACL 2) 2024/2025.

-- BERNAMA