RUMOUR: Perak fire Weigang, Durakovic to step in

BY         NIK AFIQ        Follow on Twitter

Rumour has sparked that Perak are close to appointing former Selangor head coach, Mehmet Durakovic to replace their current head coach Karl-Heinz Weigang.

Weigang, despite having led the Bos Gaurus to a 2-1 victory over defending Super League champions JDT last week, is rumoured to have been given the sack by the Perak Football Association (Perak FA).

Rumours of the Germans departing Ioph have been circulating for days, after he repeatedly expressed his unhappiness at the lack of professionalism in Perak FA's management.

The rumours started to grow stronger after he was barred from speaking to the press by PAFA after his side defeated JDT.

On February 11th, after Perak’s 3-0 shock defeat to PKNS FC, the 81-year old went up to the fans and said “I’m finished. I’m going home”, a remark that might have indicated that he knew his second stint with Perak was about to end.

He has often slammed and criticised his own team this season, despite them having picked up three wins in five games and their current league position; in third at the moment. He once complained after their 3-2 league win against Melaka United FC that his team's performance was embarrasing, and also urged them to start playing good fotball after their 1-0 win away at Penang.

PAFA appointed Weigang as their head coach last year as part of their three-year development plan for football in the state of Perak.

Weigang’s appointment last season lifted Perak from the tenth position to finish sixth by the end of the season, and they have also started this season brightly, especially their win over JDT last weekend, which ended the Southern Tigers 25-match unbeaten run.

They are also only one point behind league leaders Kedah, and are only separated with Pahang in second place on goal difference. In his first stint with Perak, he managed to guide the team to the 1998 Malaysia Cup title.

His rumoured replacement, Durakovic meanwhile last coached in 2015, when he was bizarrely relieved from his duties by Selangor just days after leading them to their 33rd Malaysia Cup title.