27/09/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | SEPT 27, 2025

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FAM reject Khairy’s view on NFDP

FIXTU R ES ENGLISH P R EMIE R LEAGUE

THE Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) insist that they, being the national football governing body, should be responsible for managing the National Football Development Programme (NFDP). FAM acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi clarified this when rejecting the view of former Youth and Sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who felt that the NFDP should continue to be handled by the National Sports Council (NSC). Mohd Yusoff said FAM are ready to lead NFDP to a higher level in terms of producing more talented young players. “Although we face several constraints and

take over that responsibility. Mohd Yusoff, however, said he was ready to accept the views and criticisms of all parties for the good of football in the country. “All these criticisms can be used as a guide for us to improve the NFDP. “What is important is that we get positive inputs to enhance the quality of the NFDP,” he said. The NFDP, launched by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on April 10, 2014, is a comprehensive football development programme for players aged between seven and 17 in every state. – Bernama

challenges, including funding issues, we are ready to take over the NFDP if asked to do so. As the governing body, FAM are more than ready to play a significant role in the development of grassroots football in the country. “Football development comes under FAM. We cannot have two entities managing the same matter, as otherwise it will become uncoordinated,” he said in a statement yesterday. Media reports yesterday quoted Khairy as saying that the NFDP should continue to be handled by the NSC for now, since FAM and the state associations are far from ready to

All matches at 10pm Malaysian time unless stated. TODAY B rentford vs Man United (7.30pm) Chelsea vs B righton Crystal Palace vs Liverpool Leeds vs B ournemouth Man City vs B urnley TOMO RR OW Forest vs Sunderland (12.30am) Tottenham vs Wolves (3am) Aston Villa vs Fulham (9pm) Newcastle vs Arsenal (11.30pm) TUESDAY Everton vs West Ham (3am)

Big boost for Malaysian football Arif Aiman one of three players in Asia nominated for Player of the Year award A RIF AIMAN Mohd Hanapi’s nomi nation for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Player of the Year award is a testa and Al-Hilal striker Salem Al-Dawsari of Saudi Arabia – for the Player of the Year award, which will be presented at the AFC Annual Awards 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct 16. “After the era of Datuk Soh (Chin Aun), the late Mokhtar (Datuk Mokhtar Dahari) and myself, we finally have a player who has been nominated for the top award. This is a proud moment because football in Asia has grown by leaps and bounds. ment to the rise of Malaysian football,

RESULTS & STANDINGS

SPANISH LA LIGA: Osasuna 1 (Munoz 10) Elche 1 (Pedrosa 90+2), R eal Oviedo 1 (Reina 33) B arcelona 3 (Eric Garcia 56, Lewandowski 70, Araujo 88) .

Pts 18 16 13 11 10 10 10

P 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

W

D 0 1 1 2 4 1 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 2 5 2 1 0 2 2

L 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 1 3 4 5 4 4

F

A 3 4 5 9 5 7 8 7 7 6

R. Madrid Barcelona Villarreal Espanyol

6 5 4 3 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 0

14 19 12 10

Elche Bilbao Getafe

8 7 7 9 9 6 8 5 7 5 6 2 5 3

And that says a lot about Arif Aiman’s own high standards as well as the fact that Malaysia now possesses a gem of a player. His nomination has caught the attention of national football legend Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan, who said that Arif Aiman’s nomination has opened the eyes of Asia’s powerhouses to the fact that Malaysia is home to some of the region’s most talented players. Zainal, who made the Asian All Stars lineup during the 1982 and 1985 AFC awards ceremo nies, also believes that

race, including competing in several events in China. No excuse to lift foot off pedal TE R ENGGANU FC (TFC) head coach Badrul Afzan Razali has warned his men not to use the 5pm kickoff time as an excuse should they drop points against Kuala Lumpur City (KL City) FC in their Super League match at the Cheras Stadium today. “I don’t think that kickoff time should be a problem because we usually train at that same time, when it is still hot and humid. It’s up to the players, actually. They must be smart enough to conserve energy due to the heat by controlling the pace and punish ing the opponents at the right time to ensure victory,” he said when contacted yesterday. He also intends to retain the same players who featured in the 3-0 win over Imigresen FC in the FA Cup round-of-16 return leg match on Sept 13 (for a 4-2 aggregate win). Last season, he scored five goals to help JDT advance to the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Elite competition, besides winning the Treble with the Southern Tigers in the Malaysia League (M League). – Bernama “He (Arif Aiman) will become an icon for younger players, who will surely say: ‘I want to be like Arif Aiman one day.’ This was how it was back in those days, as I wanted to be like Mokhtar. “This is the push that Malaysian football needs going forward,” said the former Pahang head coach when contacted by Bernama yesterday. Meanwhile, local football analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli described Arif Aiman’s nomination as a major recognition for Malaysian football. “This will pave the way for talent scouts to include Malaysia as part of their network,” he said. On Thursday, the AFC announced that Arif Aiman is among the three main candi dates for the AFC Player of the Year award, thus becoming the first Malaysian footballer to be nominated for the top gong. In April, Arif Aiman became the first player to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for a fourth straight time at the 2024/25 National Football Awards cere mony.

which has been in the doldrums for so long. The nippy Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) winger has been

Real Betis Atletico

9 9 8 8 7 7 5 5 5 4 3 2 2

Alaves

Valencia

10

Sevilla

10 10

nominated with two of Asia’s top names – Qatar’s Akram Afif, who won the Golden Boot award in the 2023 Asian Cup,

Osasuna Vallecano Celta Vigo Sociedad Levante Oviedo Mallorca Girona

5 9 7 9

10 13

11 11 16

Red Giants axe Kinoshi SELANGO R FC yesterday announced that they have relieved Katsuhito Kinoshi from his duties as first team head coach. The Red Giants expressed their appreciation and thanked Kinoshi for his contributions, efforts and com mitment throughout his tenure with them. “Selangor FC would like to announce that Katsuhito Kinoshi has been relieved from his duties as first team head coach. Christophe Gamel (of France) will take over the role on an interim basis while we search for a permanent head coach,” Selangor said in a statement yes terday. Selangor are currently fifth in the 13 team Super League standings with six points from two wins and three defeats. Kinoshi, 61, was appointed Selangor head coach after Nidzam Jamil resigned from the post last October. EU R OPA LEAGUE: Go Ahead Eagles 0 FCS B 1 (Miculescu 13) , Lille 2 (Igamane 54,Giroud 80) B rann 1 (Magnusson 60) , Aston Villa 1 (McGinn 13) B ologna 0, Ferencvaros 1 (Pesic 90+4) Viktoria Plzen 1 (Durosinmi 16), R angers 0 Genk 1 (Oh 55) , R ed B ull Salzburg 0 Porto 1 (Gomes 90+3), Stuttgart 2 (Bouanani 51, El Khan nouss 68) Celta Vigo 1 (Iglesias 86), Utrecht 0 Lyon 1 (Tessmann 75) , Young B oys 1 (Janko 25) Panathinaikos 4 (Swiderski 10, Zaroury 13, 19, 68) . ITALIAN CUP (2ND R D): Genoa 3 (Frendrup 15, Marcandalli 56, Ekhator 83) Empoli 1 (Saporiti 12) , Torino 1 (Casadei 9) Pisa 0. BRIEFS

Arif Aiman will prove to be an inspira tion to the younger genera tion.

JDT midfielder Arif Aiman Hanapi posing with his MVP award. – BERNAMAPIC

Tough road ahead TE R ENGGANU CYCLING TEAM (TSG) rider Nur Aiman Rosli (pic) admits that it will be tough to win the Asian jersey at the 2025 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL). Nur Aiman, who wore the jersey in the 2023 edition, said this year’s competition is expected to be

to win the Asian jersey because many teams are sending their pro riders. For example, Astana are sending three Asian riders. But I’ve worn the Asian jersey before. So my plan this season is to win one stage of the LTdL,” he said when met during a TSG training ses sion yesterday. The 2025 national road cycling champion said he has devised his own strategy to boost his

tougher with the pres ence of several strong teams such as XDS Astana. As such, he has shifted his

chances of win ning a stage at this year’s LTdL. He has also prepared him self both physi cally and men tally for the

target to at least winning one stage of LTdL 2025. “This year, I think it will be difficult