Terengganu FC head coach Nafuzi Zain has paid tribute to his former boss at the club, Irfan Bakti.
Terengganu FC head coach Nafuzi Zain has paid tribute to his former boss at the club, Irfan Bakti Abu Salim after taking the club to a third-place finish in the Malaysia Super League this season.
The former had been an assistant head coach at the club while the latter was the head coach, from 2017. When the veteran coach vacated the post midway through the 2019 season, Nafuzi took over temporarily, before he was appointed on a permanent basis ahead of the 2020 season.
Nafuzi credited his former boss for guiding him as a young trainer at the club.
"I am where I am now at Terengganu, from our days of winning promotion in the 2018 Premier League, due to my time with him.
"It's all because of his contributions while I was his assistant since 2017, up to 2019 when he stepped down. He took me to the Super League. Before he stepped down, Irfan stated his belief that I would be able to guide the team, and that's how I got the chance to lead Terengganu.
"If not for the opportunities provided by him, my career would not have taken off," explained the 42-year coach in an interview with the Malaysian Football League.
Nafuzi Zain. Photo by Sports Regime