BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
When met by the media in a press conference on Friday, Selangor FA (FAS') president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that improving the association's professionalism level is his most immediate aim.
"My priority is not to win titles, it is to put the house in order.
"My aim is to get a new office for FAS to replace our run down current headquarters, and a proper training ground.
"The current FAS executive committee (exco) members are professionals. I am an accountant by profession. Although I used to be a lawmaker, I am not involved in politics anymore.
"The team is already being professionally run," said Subahan.
The association's finances are also another concern of Subahan's, and he aims to engage global accounting firm Deloitte's services.
"We have began discussions with Deloitte to work with us, to look into our finances.
"That means looking for excess spending, how to implement sustainable spending, accounting flows and processes. We are behaving very professionally," explained the 52-year old.
Subahan admitted that although there are plans to bring in sponsorships to shore up the Red Giants' finances, for the time being the budget has come from the executive committee members' own pocket.
"All the exco members, we are all businessmen, we use our own money. You cannot run a football team on this basis, you need long-term planning.
"This is not something new, this has been the way it's done for a long time. The previous presidents and vice-presidents have always forked out their own money.
"But this should stop, and at the same time so does the dependence on state funding. We need to find our own funds.
"This year we will look into how to start financing FAS on a long-term basis," he averred.
Despite all this, Subahan said that FAS faces no trouble in settling all their debts and player salaries, a trouble faced by the side just before the start of this season when the Selangor government withdrew its financial support from the team.
"The issue with Zainal (former head coach Zainal Abidin Hassan's termination and severance pay) has been solved.
"The player salaries for November 2016 that they (state government) should have made, have all been paid by us," announced Subahan.
Subahan, who won the post unchallenged in a March 23 FAS extraordinary general meeting, also told the press that he plans to meet the association's affiliates and Red Giants' fans by the 100th day of his presidency, to table an action plan.
Selangor fans. Nazim Amzed/www.asiana.my
"God willing, on the 100th day mark I will call all the press, affiliates and fans to table my 100th day action plan.
"We will reveal our plans, direction and how we will run the association," he revealed.
On top of all this, Subahan said that FAS has also made several changes, including a redrafting of its constitution, as well as electing an external party as its integrity committee chair.
When asked by Goal on the status of the Red Giants' AFC Club Licensing application status in the midst of the leadership changes, Subahan was quick to respond that it is facing no trouble complying with the 2018 deadline that has been set by M-League organisers Football Malaysia LLP.
"There are no issues there. We have complied with 85% of the requirements.
"That is the least worry that Selangor have. We should be able to comply fully," he answered.
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