10/07/2025

SPORTS THURSDAY | JULY 10, 2025

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‘Excellent’ men in black FAM gives thumbs up to referees for super 2024/25 M-League performance

CLUB WORLD CUP (semifinals) Fluminense 0 Chelsea 2 (Joao Pedro 18, 56) . RESULTS

Malaysia in spotlight

T HE Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Referees Unit has, based on its comprehen sive analysis, rated the performance of the men in black in the 2024/25 Malaysia League (M-League) season as excellent. FAM deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundaram said this is based on the reports by the Referee Assessors, complaints from the teams and match video analysis – which are the benchmark in determining the referees’ performances in the Super League, Malaysia Cup and FA Cup competitions. “Based on the FAM Referees Unit’s report, the performances of referees in the 2024/25 M-League season has been rated as excellent compared to the 2023/24 season. “Last season, a total of 208 matches used the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. Of that total, FAM only received five official complaints from “PRESSURE CREATES DIAMONDS” – that was national forward Fergus Tierney’s response when asked how he’s handling the heat ahead of the 2025 Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-23 Cup in Jakarta from July 15-29. Tierney, who has already been capped at the senior level, believes the team is making good progress under head coach Nafuzi Zain, with just a week remaining before the tournament kicks off. “I think we have had a good training camp with coach Nafuzi. We are learning a lot every day. We still have a week to go before the tournament, so there’s still a lot we need to improve. “We want to win every game. We’re not worried about who we’re facing. We’re going there to win every single match. That’s it,” he told reporters after scoring two goals to help the Malaysia U-23 team defeat Melaka FC 4-1 in a warm-up match at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras on Tuesday. Aliff Izwan Yuslan and Muhammad Pressure creates diamonds, says Tierney ahead of AFF Cup

Meanwhile, he said the use of VAR last season showed a positive trend based on the number of complaints lodged and the accuracy of referees’ decisions. He pointed out that the number of complaints lodged in the 2024/25 season dropped to 2.24% compared to 4.15% the previous season, while the accuracy of referees’ on-field decisions rose to 98.07% compared to 88.76% the previous season. FAM are the sole football governing body in Southeast Asia to use the VAR technology for all 208 domestic matches in the Super League, Malaysia Cup, FA Cup and Challenge Cup (two matches). – Bernama

the competing teams, namely four from Super League matches and one from a Malaysia Cup game,” he said in a media statement yesterday. Sivasundaram, who is also the FAM Referees Committee chairman, said every incident had been accurately reviewed by the VAR official and level of compliance with the VAR Protocol was excellent. “Of the 208 matches, VAR officials made 1,255 reviews (excluding silent checks). Of the 1,255 VAR checks, a total of 101 involved ‘On Field Rieview’ (OFR),” he said. He also said that VAR technology did not disrupt the flow of games as the average time added on by VAR was lower at 1.96 minutes compared to 4.70 minutes by referees. Sivasundaram added that data analysis showed that 647 goals were netted last year, with all goals checked by VAR officials before being confirmed.

LESS than 24 hours before the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup (MSC) kicks off under the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC), Malaysia is already making waves in the global MLBB community. The spotlight is not only on local favourites Selangor Red Giants (SRG.OG) – the defending champions – but also on Malaysia’s top-tier esports infrastructure, which has drawn elite teams to the country for their pre-tournament bootcamps. Teams such as Gaimin Gladiators (USA), Aurora Esports (Türkiye), DianFengYaoGuai (China), and Team Spirit (EECA) have all chosen Malaysia as their final training ground before the MSC, citing the country’s conducive environment and world class facilities. Ashley Ann, roamer for Gaimin Gladiators, said their choice was based on infrastructure quality and stability. “Malaysia has been outstanding in terms of consistency and professionalism. From accommodations to practice spaces, everything supports a focused, distraction-free routine,” she told Bernama . She added that Malaysia’s location in Southeast Asia also made it a strategic choice. “The balance of comfort, accessibility, and esports infrastructure here is ideal. Reliable internet and a strong ecosystem made it an obvious choice for our EWC bootcamp,” she said. Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) president Muhammad Naim Al-Amin said the influx of top-tier teams reinforces Malaysia’s status as a regional esports hub. “It’s a milestone not just in terms of prestige, but in growing Malaysia’s esports ecosystem. It shows we’re capable of hosting and supporting world-class esports operations,” he said. He added that this global recognition also boosts local confidence and affirms Malaysia’s readiness to meet high-performance demands. – Bernama

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squad is already showing sharper speed and movement. Nafuzi has made it clear that the target is the semifinals, a crucial launchpad for a shot at the title. Malaysia kicks off their Group A campaign against the Philippines (July 15), Brunei (July 18) and wraps up the group stage against hosts Indonesia (July 21). The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on July 25, with the third-place playoff and final scheduled for July 29. – Bernama

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Faris Danish Mohd Asrul netted the other two goals. Meanwhile, head coach Nafuzi stressed that fitness is the top priority at this stage, adding that his

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Fergus Tierney. – FAM/X

Pafa issues invitation letters to import players THE Perak Football Association (Pafa) is in the process of evaluating several import players to strengthen the state’s football team for this season’s A1 Semi-Pro League competition, scheduled to begin in August. Mohd Azhar said the Bos Gaurus is currently undergoing intensive training by combining senior and reserve players, including Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) players, to build team har mony and strength.

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tion in the A1 League was not just to fill slots, but rather as a stage to rebuild the state team and provide a path for young talents to play at a higher level. “Our target is that within three to five years, Perak FA will be able to return to the Super League. With enthusiasm, consistent training and strong support from fans, success may be achieved,” he said. On June 16, AFL chairman Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi announced that 16 teams had confirmed their participation in the 2025/26 A1 Semi Pro League. They are the Armed Forces FC, Manjung City FC, Imigresen FC II, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) II, Selangor FC II, Kelantan WTS FC, Kedah FA, Machan FC, Kelantan Red Warriors FC, Bunga Raya FC, Malaysian University, PAFA, Kedah Darul Aman FC (KDA FC), Guar Syed Alwi (GSA FC), FC Seoul Phoenix and UM-Damansara United. – Bernama

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“We have held several friendly matches against local teams in Perak as preliminary preparations. Two more warm-up matches will be held against the Armed Forces FC on July 17 and Melaka FC eight days later (July 25),” he said. In a related development, he said a total of 24 players had signed contracts with Perak for between one and two years, comprising 13 young players under the age of 20 and 11 sen ior players. He said nine of the senior players had played with Perak FC in the Super League last season, thus bringing a dimension of maturity and experience to the squad. Apart from that, he said Pafa’s first participa

Its president, Datuk Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin, said Pafa had issued invitation let ters to several foreign players to undergo an evaluation session, in line with the regulations that allow three imported players to be regis tered in the AFL’s A1 Semi-Pro League. However, he declined to reveal the country of origin of the players the letters were sent to, but stressed that only those who are truly of quality and capable of making an immediate impact will be selected. “We have identified several potential import players, and they will undergo assessment tests soon. Priority is given to positions that can add to the team’s overall strength,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday.

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