With the kick-off of the 2021 Liga Super Malaysia season around the corner, Perak FC have made the decision to terminate the contract of their head coach Mehmet Durakovic. The 55-year old Australian departs the Bos Gaurus after four eventful years with the club, which saw them consistently finishing in the top half of the Liga Super table and even turning out in the AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs in 2019.
Malaysian media have reported on Sunday that Perak’s new management are mulling the decision to let Mehmet go before to the start of the 2021 season, with the Australian still contracted to the club until November of this year, before the termination was confirmed on Monday. Family reasons was the cause of Mehmet’s departure from the Perak Stadium with the former Selangor FC head coach being professional in his conduct in the days leading up to his termination, overseeing a number of training sessions held since mid-February.
Perak have announced former Kuala Lumpur United head coach Chong Yee Fatt as Mehmet’s replacement on Monday.
Mehmet’s departure came as a blow for the Bos Gaurus as a number of key players have decided to stay at the Perak Stadium due to the Australian’s presence. The run-up towards the 2021 season saw Perak losing star striker Shahrel Fikri to Selangor, which surely serves as a huge blow to the team’s aspirations.
However, they did manage to land a number of fresh faces in the form of Azri Ghani and Shakir Hamzah – both being brought in from Kedah Darul Aman – as well as Danish Haziq, who had been brought in from UiTM FC.
Mehmet was signed by Perak in 2017, ending a two-year sabbatical for the Australian that started after he left Selangor in 2015. Former Melbourne Victory head coach Mehmet led Perak to the 2018 Malaysian Cup title and silver medals in the 2018 Liga Super, the 2019 Malaysian FA Cup, and the 2019 Piala Sumbangsih.