Sharing his status with BolaPantaiTimur, Flor says, "I received T-Team's offer and told my club about it. I told them I want to go back to Terengganu. Please let me go. Because of this dream and willingness to go back, I have asked my club to release me. I really hope everything will be okay."
It is no secret that Flor loves Terengganu, his first overseas stint away from Brazil. The stout Brazilian defender and equally prolific goal-scorer, especially in aerial duels, stresses, " I asked them to release me because I want to go back to the very first country I played outside Brazil. Now it is a good time for me to realize another important objective in my life."
Flor obviously relishes his memorable stint with Terengganu from July 2005 to July 2008. Unlike some of his former Terengganu Brazilian colleagues who subsequently turned to coaching instead, Flor kept himself busy as a professional footballer - playing in UAE (Ras Al Khaimah club), Kuwait (Al Sahel- champion Kuwait Premier League 2009-2010) and Lebanon (Al Mabarrah club) in 2010/11 before joining Bahrain's Al Busaiteen club from August 2011 until today.
With the impending deadline for the registration of foreign players on 4 December, even newly-appointed Head Coach, Mohamad Azraai Khor Abdullah admits that T-Team has to work hard to secure its foreign signings. Meanwhile, the deadline for the registration of local players is on 17 December this year. The new Malaysian Super League season will kick off on 18 January next year.
Azraai expects the team's foreign trio to be its pillars - as good role models, guiding his younger sets of players. He and his other coaching staff have to find, evaluate and secure them for T-Team in the limited time that they have.
Three factors appear to have driven Flor to his critical decision - to possibly come back to his second home or balik kampong as he puts it - sooner rather than later.
One, his inner drive to re-live his previous happy experiences in Terengganu and possibly win honours with T-Team this time round. Two, persistent invitation to come back from his significant number of Terengganu and T-Team fans. Three, Flor and Azraai seem to have a deep mutual respect for each other.
Fresh from being in touch with Flor, Azraai tells BolaPantaiTimur, " I have a feeling that he will do his level best to join us." Fabio quips, "I know T-Team is not a big or favourite team. But just like Terengganu before, when Saha, Farhan, Manaf, Ismail Faruqi and others were much younger, we can be a very strong team, especially at home. I will also be glad to work with coach Azraai. He is a good man and a good coach."
For Flor, the timing is just right.
He says, " It is a good time to go as Al Busaiteen had won the Bahrain league last season."On a more personal note, he adds that his daughter, Giulia, is now five years old. Flor says, "I hope she will know Terengganu."
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