IPOH − Youth and Sports minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, is confident that the women’s national football squad will be able to show high-fighting spirit in the 2022 AFC Asian Cup qualifying rounds in Palestine this month.
He said his confidence was based on the intense preparation the squad had gone through after being ‘confined’ at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya before seeing action in the qualifiers on September 19.
“They are now in the bubble, not able to see family members and confined to just training. I pray for their success. I am confident with the spirit of the team, which comprises senior and junior players.
“I don’t know the quality of the Thailand and Palestine teams, but I am confident our squad will give their best to exhibit a high spirit of sportsmanship and make the country proud,” he said at a press conference after attending a meeting today with the Malaysia Vaccine Support Volunteers (myVAC) and fontliners at the Stadium Indera Mulia vaccination centre (PPV).
He said the women’s national squad are sure to give their best as ambassadors to Palestine, where the people have been impressed with Malaysia for years.
The national team is scheduled to play against Thailand and Palestine in Group H at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium on September 19 and 22 respectively.
When asked about the cancellation of the Malaysia Premier Futsal League (MPFL), Faizal said that safety and health issues had to be considered first before the tournament could proceed.
“A lot of young players have not been vaccinated. We want to ensure that the safety and health of the players are taken care of first, especially under the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (PICK). I totally agree and support the decision by the Malaysian Football Association (FAM); the matter is much more important than the tournament itself.
“If vaccination is completed, God willing, by the end of the year, we will achieve the level of immunisation that is enough for Malaysians and the league to proceed. To have the league matches with or without supporters is a different matter,” he explained.
It was reported that the President’s and Youth Cups as well as the MPFL had to be cancelled this season following the Covid-19 pandemic, and according to FAM secretary-general, Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar, the decision was made after taking into consideration the safety aspects of all, including the players, officials and match officials.
Touching on today’s programme, Faizal said up to 320,000 volunteers have registered under myVAC and as of September 2, a total of 8,187 volunteers have been relocated to 417 PPV centres nationwide. – Bernama, September 12, 2021
