Friday, July 12, 2024
Kuala Lumpur City Offer Local Kids Freebies
Why can't KL City attract crowds? Based in Malaysia's capital city, nearest rival is the far bigger Selangor but why has the club failed/struggled to build a relationship with its local community beyond the fact they don't win every game 7-0?
It's not as if the last few years have been a drought.
2017 Malaysia Premier League Champions
2021 Malaysia Cup Winners
2022 AFC Cup Runners Up
2023 Malaysia FA Cup Runners Up
And yet last season they averaged less than 2,000 per home game and here they are dishing out freebies for perhaps the biggest crowd of the season!
Undoubtedly, not paying players on time with little explanation why does nothing for the 'optics' of the club but - we're talking about the capital city of a relatively thriving country where people love football (usually Liverpool and Manchester United though!).
Malaysian football is crying out for someone to provide a serious challenge to them brash boys from the south, Johor Darul Ta'zim, with their deep pockets and superb infrastructure but the rest of the teams just seem to plod along pathetically, uninterested in developing.
Perhaps instead of investing in clubs overseas, some rich Malaysian tycoon could challenge some of their wealth locally and help build a fully competitive where JDT are forced to battle their way to the title and not coast.
Or, maybe there are reasons why the rich businessmen aren't interested that go beyond football?
Either way, we are left with the somewhat humiliating spectacle of a club in the capital city which has struggled paying wages offering a few dozen freebies for a big local derby.