New Coach For Brunei
By Benny Ang

Bandar Seri Begawan - There is a new coach at the helm of Brunei football, for now at least. Karim Eencherifa from Morocco arrived in Brunei just a few days ago and was seen to be putting the players through their paces yesterday morning.

However, agreements between Eencherifa, BAFA and the Department of Youth and Sports have yet to be finalized pending all three parties reaching a suitable meeting point as negotiations are still ongoing.

Pg Hj Yussoff Pg Hj Bahar, Chairman of the National Team committee, yesterday confirmed that Eencherifa has been brought in by BAFA and that they were hopeful they could reach an agreement sometime soon.

"Karim has a wealth of experience in coaching in his homeland in Morocco and also has the coaching qualifications to go with it. We feel he is the man to take us to the next level.

"He applied to us along with a few other candidates but somehow he seemed to stand out at that point in time. And so far, having seen him in action just for a few days, he seems to have made the right impression on the players," said Pg Yussoff.

As he has yet to finalise his terms here, Eencherifa was reluctant to discuss his arrival with the Bulletin and was just concentrating on getting off to a good start with the team.

If he is given the job on a full-time basis, Eencherifa will replace local coach Zainuddin Kassim and it remains to be seen whether Zainuddin, Rosanan Samak or both will be given the role as assistant to the Moroccan.

Eencherifa will be the first foreign coach to lead the Wasps since Mike Lyons who was deposed in that all-too publicised mutiny two years ago when the players refused to play for the Englishman.

It will be interesting to see how the players take to their new head coach who based on yesterday's training seemed to place a big emphasis on fitness training, something that the Brunei players are not too traditionally keen on.

The season kicks off in just over two weeks time and if Eencherifa is finally confirmed as Brunei coach, he will not have much time before facing quite a baptism of fire against Malaysian giants Selangor in their opening match.

One other noticeable aspect of the Wasps' training session is the amount of new faces in the squad which will make for an intriguing season.

If for nothing else, the recent B-League has at least allowed the national team committee to identify several potential players who might not have been spotted had it not been for their participation for their club.

Consistency of performance is always a factor and their performances for their clubs week in, week out have allowed them the chance to prove themselves in preseason training in the national team.

While there are some familiar faces in Ak Sallehuddin Pg Hj Damit, Hj Md Subhi Abdillah Hj Bakir, Shahrul Rizal Hj Abd Rahman, Fadlin Galawat and Irwan Mohammad amongst others, there are also a whole host of new names.

Names like Yussof Salleh, Safari Wahit, Zilhihni Hj Abd Razak, Zulkifli Mohammad, Hassan Fadli Hj Hassan, Ahmad and Ak F aizul Pg Hj Tajuddin will hardly register with the Brunei public but is based on their performances for their clubs last season that they have been drafted into the squad for now.

With a new coach and new-look squad, 2004 looks to be a crucial year not only for the players themselves but al so for BAFA who are coming under increasing pressure for their inability to deliver the team back to the elite league in Malaysia.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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