PJ CITY FC BOSS WANTS MORE LOCAL HEROES

Pictures By Zakaria Zaaba

PJ City FC owner Datuk Sri Vijay Eswaran’s passion, wanting to give back to the nation he loves and wanting to give a platform for local players to excel, saw him come aboard.

Founder and Executive Chairman of QI Group of Companies, came aboard to assist financially and take over to manage the Malaysian Indian Football Association (MIFA) this season in the Super League in Malaysian Football League (MFL) after the team earned promotion from the Premier League.

“I was approached a few years ago to assist the MIFA, but threw a challenge to them to earn a promotion to Super League before I consider,” said the entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author.

“Thus they earned their right to play in the Super League, I came aboard.

“I am not on aboard to assist the MFL, but football in Malaysia, especially players who are looking for a platform to excel but have not found the opportunity. I believe in our players – local players,” said Eswaran whose company is a multinational conglomerate with diverse interests including direct selling, real estate, education, retail and hospitality in more than 30 countries.

Eswaran said he is seriously considering using minimum number of foreign players next season and proof that PJ City can still do well without the maximum five foreign players.

“With all teams utilising the maximum number foreigners, we are depriving about 60 local players an opportunity of exposure and in key positions in the team. It is no surprise that the national team coaching staff complain that they do not have caliber players in positions like strikers and midfielders because in the MFL it is all the foreigners who are playing in these positions,” said Eswaran.

“Next season PJ City will most probably hire only one or maximum two foreigners of caliber quality.”

Eswaran went on to add his reason for coming aboard to assist Malaysian football: “I also came aboard because I wanted to give back to the nation from I have achieved overseas.  Many Malaysians go onto help in nations where they have their business, but while I also helped in UK with Manchester City, I wanted to contribute in Malaysia” added Eswaran educated in the UK and the USA and has a successful corporate career in North America before the call of entrepreneurship brought him home to Asia in the early 1990s.

Below Eswaran in an exclusive interview with NST Sports, answers questions on his involvement in Malaysian football and his future plans.

NST Sport: Touching on the Malaysian Super League, what is your focus with PJ City Football Club?

Datuk Eswaran: Well, the city of Petaling Jaya is always close to the QI Group’s heart. It’s not just the place the Group has been headquartered for over two decades; it is in many ways a microcosm of modern Malaysia itself.

Our focus is to make PJ City FC a truly community-centric team reflecting the proud city of Petaling Jaya and the club will be the beginning of my larger vision for the future of football in Malaysia.

We don't just want to build great players, but we want to build a community - a successful community - reflecting the thriving city of Petaling Jaya.

NST Sport: What really inspired you to get involved in Malaysian Football and purchase PJ City FC?

DVS: I see football as a force for good, capable of uniting the country and letting its people forget differences in race, religion, creed and colour to rally behind a symbol of the Malaysian oneness.

Malaysia, back in the 60s and 70s were one of the most feared teams in Asia. We had star players like Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, the Bakar brothers of Ali, Isa and Shaharuddin Ali, Wong Choon Wah, R. Arumugam, Shukor Salleh, James Wong and Hassan Sani, who were all among the stars and they certainly formed a multi-racial national team that put the country in the forefront of Asian football then.

In the 1970s, Malaysia were on par with South Korea, Japan, Arab Saudi, Kuwait and Iran but over the years, we have failed to maintain our superiority in Asia while our rivals have gone on to play in the World Cup.

I would like to see players from all races play for the country like in the 1970s and to bring back the glory days of Malaysian Football.

I certainly see sports as the best way to unite all races in this country. And in the spirit of the Merdeka and the coming Malaysia Day, it would be nice to envision a multi-racial football team in the near future.

As for PJ City FC, it is just the beginning of my much larger vision for the future of football in Malaysia. I am personally committed to the success of this up-and-coming football club and hope it inspires the next generation of fans, business leaders and entrepreneurs the same way the golden age of Malaysian football in the 70s had inspired me.

NST Sport: What would be the vision/ultimate goal for PJ City FC?

DVS: PJ City FC is largely made up of young men who have neither the opportunity nor the aptitude for higher education but who possess talent and skill that need to be channeled positively.

Being able to take these young men, who would otherwise have no other opportunities to improve their lives, and turn them into champions with a passion for excellence, means being able to create role models for the 13 million football fans in Malaysia.

I don’t want to build up just the players. For the fans, my aim is to create a new, exciting and immersive fan experience, and to build and engage the online community as well as passionate match-going fans. Members of the public will be able to buy memberships and participate in road-shows and other activities built around the team.

PJ City FC will essentially be a club that inspires modern supporters to get involved in a unique and ambitious project.

NST Sport: Many clubs have come into the Malaysian League and did not last. How about PJ City FC?

DVS: Generally, revenue shortfall will make the teams existence in both the Premier League and Super League untenable.

It is a fact that many teams do not have sustainable revenue channels, fail to transform into commercially viable entities and continue to rely heavily on state funding.

As a keen follower of the football scene in the country, I see some of the teams operate in a very old school manner where they feel that state funding is their only source of income and this undoubtedly does not allow the teams to have a future.

Though attendance for the Premier and Super League is strong, many clubs have failed to secure lucrative advertisement contracts or commercial deals with the private sector or sponsors.

There is a need for more companies, sports marketing agencies, merchandising agencies, sports lawyers and insurance companies to enable the industry to be more vibrant and exciting.

Thanks to FA of Malaysia, I see the commercial value of Malaysian football is higher now based on games played and live broadcasts.

As for PJ City, we are here to stay. With strong performance, good fan support and the QI Group behind the team, we are certainly looking at a long term stay.

We did reasonably well in terms of overall performance although we finished eighth out of twelve teams in our debut season in the Super League. They have confirmed their stay in the 2020 Super League. We are getting better, as you can see their performances in the on-going Malaysia Cup. Certainly, the team has a bright future

NST Sport: What kind of development programme does PJ City FC has?

DVS: The PJ City FC Player Development Programme is part of the development pathway for the team as it provides training and games for the youth teams of Under-17, Under-19, as well as the Super League team.

The youth team was selected from all over the country from the development programme initiated by MIFA at the schools’ level and are housed and train in Nilai year round.

Our approach is youth centred, where we coach from the head down, rather than the feet up. As well as developing players technically and physically, we want to support every player with their confidence, creativity, decision making and love for the game.

Our training is fueled by passion and a thirst for victory. We want every player to feel empowered, take responsibility for their own learning and fulfil their potential on and off the football pitch.

Our coaching team are experienced in delivering coaching sessions that allow high levels of decision making and engage each player from start to finish.

NST Sport: What are the future plans for PJ City FC – own stadium, training facilities to become a full-fledged pro club?

DVS: The plan is to have an Academy that provide young players with an opportunity to develop, learning new techniques and skills, all under the guidance of our coaching staff.

I want the club to offer something different and something unique by developing players both on and off the pitch, educating them through experiences that will shape heir progression into young adults and giving them skills that can be used throughout their lives.

Our overall aims are to bring PJ City FC to our young fans around the city of PJ and to demonstrate just how special our football club is.

As for our own stadium, we will continue to utilise the facilities at our home venue, which is the MBPJ stadium in Kelana Jaya, and will look into the possibility of owning our own stadium soon – maybe to acquire and manage MBPJ if that is possible.

PJ City FC currently is one of the two only privately-owned club in the Super League and is truly a community-centric team reflecting the proud city of Petaling Jaya.

As one big PJ City FC family, we have a responsibility to provide young players with access to the best environment and coaching possible - that's what we aim to achieve as a full-fledged pro club.

NST Sport: How much is spent on PJ City FC annually and will it be sustained with increasing costs yearly?

DVS: Comparatively, our budget is relatively small. The club originally was operated on a shoestring budget with players predominantly from low income and minority backgrounds and no money for a proper football kit.

When the club made it to the Super League, I came in to support it full-time.

We are more of a community club run on shoe-string budget without any of the big sponsors compared to our rivals in the Super League

It is a small club with no big funding but the team spirit of everyone who put on the club jersey is incredible and have big visions by managing the team prudently and professionally to attained our desired goals.

“We certainly welcome sponsors, especially to sustain the increasing costs annually.

NST Sport: Your comments on PJ City’s debut season in the Super League?

DVS: We targeted a top-6 finish but ended in eight place out of twelve teams.  Some predicted this season that we would be relegated to the Premier League but I understand that totally.

I think our team did well, compared to other seasoned campaigners in the Super League.

Comprising a blend of young and experienced players, they managed to pull off a surprise away win over top club JDT in their campaign this season.

Part of our DNA is to try and have passion and desire. It doesn't matter how big you are; you have to try everything. Togetherness is a big part.

NST Sport: Besides PJ City, you are also partners with Manchester City in the EPL. Will there be any collaboration?

DVS: Yes, we have been in partnership with Manchester City since 2014 and we recently extended this partnership that will take the relationship to ten years. The long-standing partnership will see QNET continue as Official Direct Selling Partner for Man City’s men’s and women’s teams. 

This partnership marked a significant milestone in May 2018 when City welcomed QNET as the first sleeve partner in the Women’s Super League. Throughout the next phase of this partnership, QNET will continue to provide City-led football clinics to communities around the world, as well as engaging with consumers and distributors through this relationship with City.