KUALA LUMPUR – Kuala Lumpur City FC are ready to nurture and release more of their young players for the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) following the Harimau Muda’s debacle at the Under-23 Asian Cup in Qatar.
The national U23 team, under the tutelage of Juan Torres Garrido, were eliminated from the tournament, having lost all three of their group matches to finish bottom of Group D with one goal scored and six conceded.
The Harimau Muda’s best achievement in the U23 Asian Cup was in 2018 when they reached the quarter-finals in China.
Speaking to Scoop, KL City chief executive Stanley Bernard said a pool of talent was already available at the club, and it was up to FAM and coach Garrido to choose the players if they were needed.
“If you look at our club’s perspective, we have always put in efforts to promote young players to the senior team, and the national team can always look at our players to increase their pool of talent if they want.
“For instance, Azim Al Amin, who is the current first choice goalkeeper for Harimau Muda, was actually our academy player and was with us during our AFC Cup campaign in the past. Players like Haqimi Azim are proper Kuala Lumpur boys, and currently, we have two of our own products in the Harimau Muda team.
“As a whole, KL City does have a pool of talent, and we are ready to contribute as much as we can to the national team in the years to come.
“We will always make sure that our youngsters are on the radar, and we will give them more exposure as we can. That’s the reason why we didn’t sign a foreign striker this season, and we are ready to give Haqimi more limelight by making him one of the main strikers for the team,” said Stanley when contacted.
Haqimi, who has a total of 16 appearances for both the senior and under-23 national teams, is one of the few players who received scrutiny from fans on social media for his performance in the U23 Asian Cup.
The 21-year-old has made a total of 27 appearances for KL City and has scored two goals so far for the team.
KL City currently have 19 Malaysian players, including naturalised and heritage players, on the team.
Six of these players are regularly chosen by senior team head coach Kim Pan-gon for international friendlies and tournaments, such as the Pestabola Merdeka tournament and the senior Asian Cup last year.
KL City maintained their mid-table grip in the Super League last season as they finished seventh with 38 points.
In 2021, the club, under the guidance of Bojan Hodak, made waves by lifting the Malaysia Cup, outperforming their limited budget to defeat powerhouses Johor Darul Ta’zim in the final.
The Croatian’s cup-winning team featured experienced players such as Safee Sali, Shukor Adan, and Indra Putra Mahayuddin. – April 24, 2024