TMJ-Annuar spat escalates from football to politics

Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim warns Umno Information chief Annuar Musa not to stir the hornet’s nest because “there will be consequences”.

(FMT) – Crown Prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim warned Umno Information chief Annuar Musa not to be a liability to his party as the recent spat between the two escalated.

In a post on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page, Tunku Ismail said Annuar should mind his own business after the latter had criticised Johor’s policy of signing players and paying their wages, saying it was destroying Malaysian football.

Tunku Ismail, who is the owner of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), shot back.

“The state of Johor is the stronghold of the ruling party today. The day for people to cast their votes is edging closer, so don’t stir up a hornet’s nest because there will be consequences.

“Tan Sri, don’t be a liability to your own party. You clearly have your own interest within the party,” he wrote.

Tunku Ismail and Annuar, the former Kelantan FA (Kafa) president, were embroiled in a row recently over the current state of the country’s football, and the management of their respective clubs.

Kafa had, last month, said that it would withdraw from the Malaysia Super League next season due to financial constraints, and set Jan 6, pending sponsorship deals, as the date it would decide whether or not to withdraw from the tournament.

“Before you comment on other clubs or states, please focus on managing Kafa properly first. Don’t waste your time probing into other teams or clubs.

“You shouldn’t be a captain who abandons his ship at the first sight of trouble. As you’ve barely managed to run Kafa properly, it’s better that you forget about leading Malaysian football,” Tunku Ismail said, referring to the possibility of Annuar running for the post of president of FA of Malaysia.