Johor Darul Ta’azim owner, Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim has publicly rejected the notion of JDT being a bigger club than local rivals, Selangor.
A media outlet recently quoted the Johor Crown Prince as saying that his team are arguably the biggest side in Malaysian football – and it didn’t go down to well with the Johor Crown Prince.
Merely a day after watching his side lift the FA Cup title, Tunku Ismail released a statement on Facebook to clarify his comments, besides suggesting that the likes of Selangor, Kelantan and Perak are all bigger teams compared to JDT.
“I would like to take this opportunity to correct some irresponsible statements made by ESPN, reporting that I have said JDT is a bigger team than Selangor,” he said, via a statement that was posted on the Johor Southern Tigers’ Facebook page.
“I said JDT is more popular globally in recent years compared to Selangor and other teams in Malaysia. But in terms of success, Selangor, Kedah, Perak, Pahang and Kelantan are more successful.
“JDT is just a young club with big ambitions. That’s all. So please don’t twist my words. To those who are uneasy with JDT, please go ahead and do your own thing, and allow me to continue celebrating with my JDT family.”
JDT clinched the FA Cup last Saturday after a nervy 2-1 win over PKNS FC at the Shah Alam Stadium. Despite going down to an early penalty strike from Gabriel Guerra, Safiq Rahim’s spot-kick and Jorge Diaz’s strike allowed them to seal a historic triumph.
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