Courtesy: New Straits Times


FAM turn to game’s shorter version

THE inaugural National Futsal League is set to kick off on Oct 30 with 24 teams in the fray as the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) looks to take the shorter version of the game forward.

FAM also hopes to capitalise on Malaysia’s recent victory at the Raja Muda Johor Cup beach soccer tournament by staging its maiden National Beach Soccer Championship, open to professionals and amateurs alike, in Kuantan on Oct 16-20.

With normal football in the doldrums in the country, FAM is counting on the relative popularity of futsal among the youth to attract fans back to the game.

FAM’s futsal and beach soccer committee chairman Hamidin Mohd Amin said the National Futsal League will cater exclusively to futsal players, with separate leagues for men and women, in order to create a wider talent pool for the national futsal team.

“The teams will play in nine circuits around the country and compete for three trophies namely the league, the FA Cup knockout tournament and the end of season Premier Cup,” said Hamidin at a press conference to announce details of the league at Wisma FAM in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

“There will be no imports but after three years we will evaluate to see whether there is a need for foreign coaches and players.

“In addition, all those who play in the futsal league this season will not be allowed to turn out for Super League and Premier League teams next season.”

Hamidin said FAM has secured Felda as title sponsors for the league when it agreed to commit RM3 million a year to run the tournaments.

All 16 FAM affiliates, Felda and seven clubs currently competing in the Super League and Premier League will field teams in both the men and women’s leagues.

The league will see the 24 teams divided into six groups of four with the group winners playing an extra round robin league to decide the league champions.

The top two in each of the six groups will advance to the Premier Cup as well as securing a place in Division 1 the following season when the league will split into two tiers.

The first round of the Premier Cup will have three groups of four teams with eight teams advancing to the quarter-finals where they will again be split into two groups of four. The top two from each group qualify for the semi-finals with final scheduled for Feb 23 next year.

The FA Cup, which will be held after the completion of the league, is a direct knockout tournament while the three tournaments combined offer total prize money of RM213,000.





Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com