"If I am sacked, I'm going to be a rich man!"- B. Satiananthan's best quotes at FA Selangor

He is vocal, at times irascible, and now head coach B. Satiananthan is at Selangor no more.

Following a series of poor results which culminated in a 6-1 humiliation at the hands of JDT in the Malaysia Super League last weekend, the experienced trainer was sacked by the Red Giants after almost two seasons at the helm.

His Selangor were a side with potential with a number of big-name signings, but they were ultimately hampered by a lack of consistency, which saw them finish the 2019 league campaign in third place, knocked out early in the FA Cup, and reach the Malaysia Cup semis.

Unfortunately for him, he was not able to build on these achievements this season, with his team struggling even before the Covid-19 lockdown period, and he was sacked by the club with three league matches remaining.

Throughout the two years at the club, the pressure and media attention was put under repeatedly brought out his combative side in post-match press conferences, especially when the result did not go his way.

These are the best quotes from Satiananthan's time at Selangor.

February 2019 - No support from the supporters

It took him five matches to guide his then-new charges to their first win, which set the tone for the poor relationship between him and the Selangor fans throughout his stint. He frequently railed against what he perceived to be unfair online criticism by the supporters. From early on, he has had to hit back against their poor opinion of him.

“The power of social media and the keyboard warriors are at play here ... 12- and 13-year-olds using vulgar words in their comments. I spoke to one of the 12-year-old boys and he later apologised to me. As coach I need to be professional and I’m used to being hated and loved. This happened to me in Kelantan too," said Satiananthan as quoted by The Star.

March 2019 - First win rant

He finally led his charges to their first win on 11 March 2019, against Klang Valley rivals Kuala Lumpur (KL), and he was in a combative mood in the presser. The Malaysian football coaches association head and former Malaysia head coach used the opportunity to hit back at rumours that he would be replaced by former JDT head coach Mario Gomez, as well as to dare the club to sack him.

"The media and the fans have all been preparing your stories; that if we'd lost today I would be replaced by Mario Gomez. What has he achieved in Indonesia, have you checked? White coaches get favourable news coverage all the time. Why are there no rumours of me being replaced by another local coach instead?

"...KL played well, they had their tactics right and we nearly got caught. Yusri (KL head coach Yusri Che Lah) is doing well with the players he has and the fans need to understand this. Which white coach is going to be hired to replace him now?"

"...If I am sacked, I'm going to be a rich man because I expect my compensation to be paid upfront, none of this gardening leave nonsense. That's what I will demand. 

"...The management has been supporting me, if not you'll have already seen Gomez here. I'm not under pressure. I'm already 61 years old, if I get the sack I'll just pick up my cheque, my pension, stay home and look after my children and grandchildren. But it's a matter of honour, you know? I've never led a team that failed to be competitive. My honour is my priority," he remarked.

July 2019 - Inconsistency rears its ugly head

What was intended to be a normal interview by Goal going into the weekend's match for Selangor turned out to be a frank extended discussion (with some strong language) with Satiananthan, on matters such as the club's social media engagements and catching up to JDT. It ended up as one of the best Selangor stories by Goal that year.

"I told the club media team; 'You people are so stupid. You should post the injury list and player availability on the Facebook page.' They should come and interview me, and I can tell them. [In any case] I think the club is too active on Facebook, when Facebook is nothing. Manchester United have millions of social media followers, and their stadium is full everytime they play. [Selangor have] 250,000, but only 3,000 turn up to watch us play at home. If I ask Iflix (then official Super League broadcaster) about their viewing numbers, they will probably say 10 or 15,000. Where is the remaining 180,000?

"...proper facilities too will help us entice players to join Selangor in the future, like what is happening at JDT. You ask any players which team do they want to play for? They're going to say it's JDT. Those who have approached me, did so because JDT don't want them. But there have been JDT players who approached me asking; 'How about next year, coach? The pressure is too much here.' Butoh! You're getting paid big money, of course it's going to come with the pressure to perform well. That's the professional way!"

March 2020 - Under attack by racist fans

Selangor fans' criticism of Satiananthan turned vile and sinister, following another poor start to the season. After a lacklustre 1-1 draw at home against Perak, the experienced trainer, a Malaysian of Indian ethnicity, claimed that he and defender K. Prabakaran, who is also of Indian ethnicity, had been racially insulted by a few Selangor fans.

"Regarding the accusation of favouritism [towards Prabakaran], is it wrong for me to field a keling (a slur referring to Indians in Malaysia) like me? I want to ask these Facebook commenters, who write as if they never received an education; the country has achieved independence 62 years ago, yet you still call people keling and anjing (dogs). Are you actually fans?" vented Satiananthan as quoted by Vocket FC (in Bahasa Melayu).

Sports Regime

K. Prabakaran. Photo by Sports Regime

August 2020 - Who referees the referee?

The competitions suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic failed to help Satiananthan turn things around when the league resumed in late August. When their home match against PJ City ended in a goalless draw, he spoke against the match official.

"Four minutes were given for stoppage time, yet players kept dropping, and only 4 minutes 20 seconds were played. I don't understand it. I think in the next generation (life) I'd like to be a referee just to learn how they calculate [the time]. PJ City made two simultaneous substitutions, there was a slight issue, and then their goalkeeper dropped down six, seven times. I know it should have been four minutes plus."

September 2020 - Everything's kryptonite

Towards the end of Satiananthan's stint, the Red Giants' most obvious problem was their inability to capitalise on the chances and possession they had. After a 1-1 draw against Melaka United that highlighted this woe, he stated that finishing is not something a football coach can teach strikers.

"We can't blame the strikers; Ifedayo [Olusegun], Rufino [Segovia] tried, Syazwan [Zainon] had chances. But they couldn't convert the chances and we were under pressure for the last five minutes. If we had scored earlier in the match, I think the game would have been ours. I can't teach strikers to score, no coach can. A coach that can do that is Superman. What can I say? If my players don't put away their chances, they can't expect their coach to come on and score for them."