THE inclusion of youngsters, Arif Aiman Hanapi and Ramadhan Saifullah, in Johor Darul Ta'zim FC's starting eleven against Perak in the Malaysia Super League last weekend, was a testament to their progress since their debut a couple of years ago.
While Safawi Rasid and Gonzalo Cabrera were unavailable and national team players, Akhyar Rashid and Mohamadou Sumareh, sat on the bench, it was Arif and Ramadhan getting the nod ─ the former having started in his second consecutive match.
Often times, there has been public opinion that JDT doesn’t give youngsters a chance to play and players joining JDT are likely to sit on the bench as if the concept of teams having substitutes or numbering 25-30 players in a squad was a completely foreign notion.
Although some players may get more playing time at lesser clubs, JDT’s standards are on a different level. In order to meet their aspirations and drive football in the AFC Champions League, players at JDT will need to up the ante.
Arif and Ramadhan are fine examples of how youngsters are given a break if they show promise in training.
Ramadhan was 18 when he made his debut against UiTM in 2019 while Arif was introduced in a league tie against Felda United last year.
Both left the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) prematurely and opted to further their aspirations at the JDT Academy, later progressing through the ranks and eventually, JDT II in the second-tier Malaysia Premier League, before making the cut for the senior team.
Another youngster, Feroz Baharudin, who travelled with the senior team for pre-season in Dubai last year, made his senior team debut against Sabah last season. In recent matches, the lanky centre-back has even contributed to the number of goals for JDT II.
In 2014, a young Fazly Mazlan made a promising breakthrough despite his loss of form a few years later while Afiq Fazail has established himself quite well since being promoted to the senior team in 2017.
After a promising season with T-Team that same year, JDT brought onboard 19-year-old Safawi Rasid, who worked his socks off and became the Most Valuable Player in Malaysian football at the tender age of 24.
The likes of Nazmi Faiz Mansor, Adam Nor Azlin and Syafiq Ahmad may not fall under the ambit of youngsters anymore but they too were once young signings, who now appear on rotation for the club, and at times, 23-year-old Syamer Kutty Abba has also been featured on JDT.
As the JDT Academy makes waves in age group competitions and sets development benchmarks in Malaysia, it may only be a matter of time before more youngsters stake their claim in the senior team.
The JDT Academy is only six years old and is already the most complete football development programme in the country, offering proper progression for players ─ from Under-12s to Under-21s and beyond ─ with full-time training accommodation and schooling. - The Vibes, March 25, 2021
Former journalist Vijhay is Head of Content at Johor Darul Ta'zim FC following stints with Malay Mail, Sports247.my, FourFourTwo Malaysia and FOX Malaysia. You may have also heard him on BFM Football or watched him on Media Prima's football programmes. Vijhay can be reached at @vijhayvick on Twitter.
