August 26,
2004
3 months
into the S-League season, the task of taking Tanjong Pagar United off the bottom of the table was nothing less
than an impossible mission.
The Jaguars
had performed abysmally in almost every match to end up with a grand total of
zero points after 11 matches.
But under
Moroccan coach Karim Bencherifa, who took over in
April, the Jaguars pulled off a remarkable recovery & clawed their way off
the foot of the table in dramatic fashion with themcurrently
eighth in the standings.
With that
success come the unwanted news for the Jaguars team
that the Moroccan is attracting interest from other S-league clubs. Rumors
reported Woodlands Wellington to be top of the pack for the Moroccan.
Jaguars
chairman Matthew Kang has admitted that he faces an uphill battle to retain
Bencherifa's services for next season with his contract up at the end of this
year.
Kang said
he would be surprised if no other club came in for him.
Adding to
that he also admitted he had told Karim that the Moroccan has the club blessing
to go if he receives an offer that is too good to resist
Certainly
it is not what Matthew Kang want as he would like to keep his coach but funds
appears to be a major stumbling block.
Kang said
when Bencherifa came here earlier this season, he was
only offered a contract worth about half of what he was getting at
Therefore
while disappointed he still hoped Bencherifa would
stayed in
Meanwhile
the Moroccan was coy about his future, declaring that he is focused firstly on
completing the season with Tanjong Pagar United.
He said his
contract runs out at the end of the season but as a professional coach he is
fully focused on preparing the team for the next 3 matches & ending the
season in the highest league position possible.
Still he
has to think about his future & have begun talk with Tanjong
Pagar United about next season as he is satisfied
with them on & off the field.