The Johor government has declared today a public holiday following Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) ending a 17-year wait by the state to bring home the FA Cup.
State secretary Ismail Karim who announced the matter said the state government was also considering rewarding the Southern Tigers handsomely.
“For the players, rewards await them and for the fans, we are giving a public holiday,” he said in a “live” interview with Johor FM in Johor Baru last night.
The win by the Southern Tigers was a repeat of the feat achieved by Johor FA (now known as JDT II) who won the FA Cup in 1998.
It erased their disappointment of losing 0-1 to Kelantan in the 2013 FA Cup final at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Sunday is a working day in Johor.
Ismail, who is also FA of Johor (PBNJ president), said he hoped JDT would achieve the much sought after “treble” by winning the Super League this season.
Meanwhile, Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin congratulated JDT saying the state was proud of this achievement.
“We hope this victory will inspire the Southern Tigers to reach lofty heights,” he said in a statement.
He also congratulated and thanked Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim for his tireless efforts in building JDT into a football powerhouse not only locally but in Asia.
A victory parade will be held in Taman Yayasan Segamat tomorrow, which is also the final stop on the second day of Kembara Mahkota Johor 2016 expedition.
– Bernama