Exclusive: Peter Butler - Selangor's Indonesian Thrashing Is Alarming For Malaysia

Former Kelantan coach and West Ham United star Peter Butler believes that the 6-1 thrashing suffered by Malaysian champions Selangor shows just how serious the state of football in the nation has become.

Selangor, who won the league title in 2009 and are top of the current standings in the Malaysian league, were hit for six in the opening round at of the AFC Cup by Sriwijaya of Indonesia earlier this week.

“It is quite alarming,” Butler, who is now working in Myanmar with Yangon United after leaving Kelantan last year, told Goal.com.

“Having worked in Malaysian football, where there is a great deal of potential, it just goes to show if Selangor are getting hammered 6-1 with a team full of internationals, something is not right.”

“It just goes to show the gulf now between Malaysian domestic football and the rest of Asia. Who would have thought ten years ago that a team from Singapore would be competing in the Asian Champions League while the likes of Selangor and Kedah are getting thrashed in the lesser competition, the AFC Cup?”

“Sriwijaya are not even that strong these days and had only twoforeign players on show so it does not bode well for the rest of Selangor’s campaign.”

“Selangor are dominating the Malaysian Super League so what does that say about the standard of the rest of the teams?”