08/08/2025

SPORTS FRIDAY | AUG 8, 2025

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Bring it on! JDT confident ahead of Charity Shield clash as Red Giants look to new signings for success

SHORTS M’sia fall to Iran in U-20 opener

THE national U-20 women’s football squad began their AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign on the wrong foot after falling 3-0 to Iran in a Group F match at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium on Wednesday. Iran’s three goals came from forward Maryam Dini in the 13th and 28th minutes, and substitute Asal Ghajarian in the dying moments of the game. “I’m not happy with the result because I hate losing, but I’m happy with the players’ performance. “They stuck to their game plan, but unfortunately, some individual errors cost us,” said national U-20 women’s team head coach Cameron Ng at a post-match press conference. The defeat places Malaysia third in the standings, ahead of bottom-placed Guam, while Iran rank second with three points – behind group leaders Japan on goal difference. Earlier, Japan collected all three points after thrashing Guam 5-0 in the afternoon match. Malaysia next face Japan today before wrapping up their Group F qualifying campaign against Guam on Sunday. Immigration FC eye Darul Aman Stadium IMMIGRATION FC (IFC) aim to make Darul Aman Stadium in Alor Setar their home ground for the 2025/2026 Super League season. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the team, which is under the Home Ministry, has sent a letter to the Kedah State Stadium Corporation for that purpose. “But while waiting for a reply, we have to make preparations first. So for now, Batu Kawan Stadium in Penang will serve as IFC’s home ground. “In addition, the Dato’ Sheikh Ahmad Stadium (Kangar), which is undergoing renovation, will also be considered once the work is completed in two or three months,” he said. Commenting on the team’s goals this season, Saifuddin said he had advised head coach Yusri Che Lah to focus on building a competitive squad. “There’s no need to feel pressured about targets. What matters most is putting in strong performances on the pitch. That’s my focus. Excessive pressure can affect the team’s performance,” he said.

J OHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) is ready to kickoff the 2025/2026 Malaysia League (M-League) season in style as they set out to defend the Charity Shield title against Selangor FC at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium today (9pm). Head coach Xisco Munoz, who will make his debut with the Southern Tigers, believes his team are mentally and tactically prepared to rise to the occasion after a good pre-season in Spain. The 44-year-old Spaniard said JDT owner Tunku Mahkota Ismail played a key role in smoothing the team’s preparations ahead of their title defence. “The most important also is we need to understand it’s our first game at home, we need to connect with the fans, we need to connect with our style and we need to give our best. “I think we are in a good way. We made very good pre-season (preparations) and we need to continue to improve a lot of things but we are in a good way,” Munoz told the pre-match press conference in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, yesterday. JDT enjoyed a promising pre-season in Spain, which included credible draws against Spanish side Levante UD and English League One outfit Cardiff City.

Meanwhile, JDT captain Natxo Insa also admitted that a quality pre-season has helped strengthen the 11-time consecutive Super League champions and put them on the right track to defend their title. “I think we had a really good pre-season in Spain,” the 39-year-old midfielder said. “We faced some strong teams and tomorrow we’re aiming to give our best because we know how important it is to start the season with the right momentum. “We need to carry forward the energy we’ve shown since pre-season into the match.” Meanwhile, Selangor FC head coach Katsuhito Kinoshi believes his side’s new signings could play a key role in today’s match. While aware of JDT’s formidable home record here, Kinoshi remains confident the Red Giants, bolstered by their new signings, can approach the match with composure and express themselves on the pitch. The Japanese coach said that although the new signings lack experience in the Malaysia League (M-League), they are experienced players and should have no trouble adapting ahead of

tomorrow’s clash. “We have a lot of respect for JDT, they have dominated Malaysian football and they have many international experiences as well but we believe in our squad, I hope we can make some impact in tomorrow’s match with this kind of new players,” he told the pre-match press conference. “These new players as I said don’t have experience in Malaysian football but they are experienced players, so I believe in their adaptation for our match. “Also we have spent about six to seven weeks together with these new players so we already have a good squad, so this is our situation now for the match.” Kinoshi also urged his players not to be weighed down by pressure. “Just focus and enjoy the match and by that, I don’t mean taking it lightly. ‘Enjoy’ means working hard, staying mentally strong, and showing our football. That’s what enjoyment is for us. “We’re focused on playing our game in this beautiful stadium against a strong opponent,” he said. – Bernama

Deputy Director-General of the Management Sector of the National Sports Council (MSN) Ariffin Mohd Ghani (centre) speaks at the press conference announcing the PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (LTdL25) teams. – BERNAMAPIC

Star-studded peloton for Le Tour de Langkawi

A total of 22 teams are set to participate in the 29th edition of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) cycling tour, which will take place from Sept 28 to Oct 5. Of the total, three WorldTeam (WT) outfits and eight ProTeams have confirmed their participation in the eight-day race, along with 10 continental teams, including two from Malaysia – Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) and Malaysia Pro Cycling – as well as a national team from Malaysia. The three WT teams confirmed so far are XDS Astana Team from Kazakhstan, Team Picnic PostNL (Netherlands) – known last season as DSM-Firmenich PostNL – and Cofidis from France. According to National Sports Council (NSC) Deputy Director-General Ariffin Mohd Ghani, the three WT teams match the number of elite teams that competed in last year’s LTdL. He added that among the eight ProTeams, six had also raced in this year’s three Grand Tours – Total Energies, Tudor Pro Cycling Team and Uno-X Mobility (Tour de France); VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane and Team Polti VisitMalta (Giro d’Italia); and Burgos-BH (Vuelta a Espana). “With nine teams from the Grand Tours

Points (Sprint) jersey,” he said. Meanwhile, LTdL Chief Operating Officer (COO) Emir Abdul Jalal said the organisers have yet to receive confirmation on whether Picnic PostNL will include last year’s overall champion Max Poole to defend the green jersey this season. However, he noted that some big-name riders like Fabio Jakobsen, Alexander Kristoff, and Alberto Dainese will be competing for their respective teams. “For us, this is a great honour as this year’s edition will feature three high-profile names with Grand Tour stage wins and strong track records across Europe’s stage and one-day classic races, which will significantly elevate the profile and prestige of the LTdL,” he said. According to Emir, this year’s LTdL edition, which covers all 12 states in Peninsular Malaysia with a total distance of 1,257.8km, remains one of the premier cycling tours in Asia based on the number of WT and ProTeam entries. As a comparison, he said other Asian ProSeries races this year include Tour of Qinghai Lake (1 WT/8 PT), Tour of Hainan (1 WT/4 PT), and Tour of Taihu Lake (1 WT/2 PT). – Bernama Penang FC at the Hang Jebat Stadium on Aug 13, he was optimistic that playing in front of the home crowd would offer a good chance to collect three points. “We want to begin positively at home and instil early confidence in the team and supporters. Although our opponents are experienced, we are ready to compete,” he said. The imports in the Melaka FC line-up this season are retained player Michael Ozor and six new faces – Juan Douglas, Patrick Gama, Anderson Brito, Vitor Carvalho, Charles Ralph and Florencio Badelic Jr. – Bernama

participating, we can expect intense and exciting competition daily, beginning with Stage 1 in Langkawi and concluding at the Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC) in Stage 8. “Although, for the second year running, there won’t be a Hors Categorie climb to Genting Highlands, Stage 3 (Gerik–Pasir Puteh) and Stage 5 (Temerloh–Bukit Fraser) will be key battlegrounds in the general classification and King of the Mountains jersey contest. “In fact, the competition is expected to remain fierce until the final days, especially with Stage 7 featuring the longest route of 214.6 km from Melaka to Medini, and the final 180km stage from Tangkak to KLCC,” he said during a press conference announcing the teams yesterday in Kuala Lumpur. Ariffin added that while full rider rosters from each team have yet to be confirmed, the LTdL is still expected to captivate cycling fans with its high level of competition and strong presence in the Asian circuit. “The organisers themselves are eager to see the final team line-ups, as from those names we can anticipate each team’s strategy and goals – whether they are chasing stage wins, the overall individual or team classification, King of the Mountains jersey, or the

Melaka FC ready for Super League challenge

MELAKA FC is ready to face the challenge of the 2025-2026 Super League season despite being a newly promoted team and seen as underdogs, says head coach K. Devan. He believed that a combination of existing players, new local talent and imports would form a solid squad capable of competing in the high level league. “We have retained about 50 to 55% of players from the A1 League and brought in nine new local players as well as seven imports. “This season’s squad could be described as a new-look team, so our main focus is on adapting

He added that as a new face in the Super League, Melaka FC aimed for a mid-table finish this season to remain competitive against the country’s football giants. “This target is seen as realistic since Melaka FC were just promoted from the A1 League and will face experienced clubs such as Johor Darul Ta’zim, Selangor, Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur City and Sabah,” he said. Commenting on the opening match against

to tactics and positions, while building chemistry among the players,” he told reporters after the launch of Melaka FC’s new jersey and player introduction ceremony in Ayer Keroh yesterday. The 64-year-old coach said preparations had begun in June, including eight pre-season friendlies. Devan said that although no imports were involved in the friendlies, the squad had shown progress over time.