TMJ views JDT-Selangor clash as normal match

HRH Tunku Mahkota Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ), Regent of Johor issued a response to an article posted by The Star where Selangor's Taylor Regan was quoted to be gunning for Johor Darul Ta'zim's (JDT) position in Malaysian football.

JDT are set to take on Selangor in the first leg of the 2019 Malaysia Cup semi-final today at Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium before the return fixture at Shah Alam Stadium next weekend. This season's competition has seen the top four sides in the 2019 Malaysia Super League all still in contention which has certainly set the pulses racing.

However TMJ refused to be drawn on what the match means on a bigger scale. In a video posted on the club's official Facebook page, while he wants JDT to win the match, TMJ will not be treating the match with any extra meaning.

"To me it's like any other game, there's no difference. If we win, good. If we lose, too bad, what to do. But anyway this year has been impressive. We have won 6 titles this year. From the U12, U14, U17 all the way to the first team and JDTII as well in the Challenge Cup which is a great achievement.

"At JDT, winning a match is important and the expectations are high for us to win. But in football anything can happen. I hope for the best but I see it as any other match. 

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"The word dethroning is quite foolish to be honest. Because before you can even imagine dethroning, you have to do a particular study of our achievements inside and outside the pitch. JDT is not just a club, it's an empire. Because the club is run by it's commercial value. We are not funded by the government unlike Selangor.

"For example we have a stadium and a training ground which belongs to us as a club asset, it doesn't belong to the government. Beating JDT is possible but dethroning is almost impossible. Because since 2013, JDT is run without the funds of government money. You can see the success, we are the first club to play in the ACL

"In life it's all about the present and the future. If I want to keep on talking about the past, I'll talk about the AFC Cup achievement with us being the only Southeast Asian club to win it. But that is over," said TMJ in his statement.

JDT last played Selangor in the Malaysia Cup back in 2017 when they were drawn together in Group D. Both teams won their respective home matches that year against each other. JDT went on to win the cup that season by beating Kedah 2-0 in the final. While Selangor's last triumph was two years before that when ironically they also ousted Kedah by the same score.

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